Matt Dodson Writing & English Tutoring
About
As far as qualifications go, I have a Bachelors and a Masters degree in English, I taught college-level writing and worked at a university writing center, and I've received a few awards over the years for both my writing and my teaching. But I think there's more to education than just lists of facts, so here's a little about me as a person as well: I'm a proud nerd with diverse interests, which are currently dominated by global food, rock climbing, and trading card games. I spend most of my free time learning about one of those three interests. And when I'm not doing that, I'm likely either writing or having dinner with friends or family.
I'll also note that I'm neurodivergent myself, and very patient, so I would be happy to work with other neurocomplex learners, though I don't have professional training on their specific needs. Finally, I am a proud LGBTQ+ ally/community member, so for those for whom that is a concern, I would be honored to help your children with their education and can guarantee they will feel welcomed and accepted as they are.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
My first step in working with any new student is to ask questions and listen. It wouldn't do anyone any good if I came in, made corrections on your piece of writing, and then sent you on your way. Instead, I prefer to get to know what a student needs, how they feel about their writing and their project, and what feedback they have gotten in the past. That context allows me to know how best to help them, whether it's making minor grammatical edits, making recommendations on what and how to rewrite, or taking the process step by step and looking at ways to improve in general.
How did you get started teaching?
When I started college at Belmont University, all freshmen had to take a "Freshman Capstone" course. These courses were generally liberal arts courses of some sort, but they varied, and could be anything from a course about computer science in popular culture to the course I took: Literature in Film. In this course, we read books, like Stephen King's The Shining and Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, and then we watched the film adaptations of them, looking at the ways the themes and ideas were captured by, or in some cases changed by, the films. My teacher was so passionate about the topics, and so knowledgeable, that I always looked forward to that class each time, and it even became a hobby for me, so much so that I started seeking out book/movie combos outside of class, and still do to this day! While I started college wanting to major in business, I quickly switched to English after this class, asked that teacher to be my advisor, and 6 years of study later, I have two Literature degrees, a ton of books on my "favorites" shelf, and several more years of teaching and independent tutoring experience.
What types of students have you worked with?
I've worked most closely with early college students, but have also helped everyone from middle schoolers struggling with grammatical concepts to 55-year-olds looking to switch careers and begin medical school. (That last example is actually my mom, who is a hero of mine and decided, once her youngest kid went off to college, to persue her dream and become a pediatrician! She's now a full-fledged doctor, and I'm proud to have been able to help her with her C.V., cover letters for jobs, and a few other writing projects along the way!)
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Ask them questions too! And look for someone with humility and someone who listens and asks you questions. If you're working with a tutor who only ever tells you what to do and doesn't explain why, that's a potential red flag. The proverb says "If you give a person a fish, they will eat for a day, but if you teach them to fish, they'll eat for a lifetime." You want someone who will "teach you to fish," since that will help you write faster, more consistently, and more successfully in the future.