The Doctor Of English

First of all, forming a relationship where the student knows that I care and value him or her as person and understand their goals is key.  At first, I like to ask students to tell me what their strengths and weaknesses are as well as their goals for tutoring.  Once we establish that I am their advocate and am focused on their learning, we can proceed to looking at their work.  I want to assess through products and dicussion where they are individually and work from there, setting goals as well as expections:  what a student can expect from me and what I can expect from the student. 

I have a Master in Arts and Teaching degree as well as a BA, MA, and PhD  in English.  I have seven years of teaching high school classes and 20 years of teaching college classes.  I worked in a teaching development center at a major state university for 11 years where I worked directly with instructor and professors to improve their teaching while developing my own craft by teaching.  I have been through the training and taught Advanced Placement classes and am currently finishing my TESOL training to start an avenue of my teaching to include ESL and EFL. 

$30/half hour

$50/hour

As a graduating English major at Duke University, I had two prospective career paths:  publishing or teaching.  When I was considering where to put my post-graduate money into job training, I decided that getting a Masters in Teaching with certification was a better bet than going to a publishing institute without the prospect of a particular job. I also chose teaching because of the value I have placed on the education I have received and my desire to share my talents and use my enthusiasm with others. 

I have worked with middle school students through the Duke TIP program, which is focused on gifted and talented.

I have taught high school students in both public and private schools who ranged in ability from low and reluctant readers with poor writing skills to AP students who have scored well enough to exempt college classes.

I have taught undergraduates in courses ranging from composition (e.g. English 1101 and 1102) to literature surveys (e.g. American literature from 1865 to present) to literature seminars (e.g. the American novel).

I have also taught graduate students training to be teaching assistants as well as faculty who are looking to improve their teaching.  This work was done through the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia.

During the COVID pandemic, my partner and I bought a high-roof utility van and converted it into a camper.  Once that tedious work was done, we have made three preliminary trips of increasing lengths in preparation for a six-week tour of the national parks in the western United States. Most recently, we did a tour of the Gulf states and discovered some places that were wonderful (e.g. Mobile, Alabama and DeSoto National Forest) and enjoyed some places we knew were going to be great (Galveston Island, San Antonio, Austin). 

I would advise the student, if possible, to have an initial session to meet the tutor and to discuss what was needed.  In that first meeting, the student should think about the chemistry he or she has with the tutor--whether the tutor was someone the student respects, and with whom the student feels comfortable and can communicate well.  

Ideally, students should be self-aware enough to know why they need a tutor. They have to be honest with themselves and ask whether or not they have put forth the effort in the area on their own or whether the desire to have a tutor is another way of "outsourcing" the responsibility of learning.  Have they done the work they have been asked to do?  Have they considered any feedback they have recieved? Hae they met with their teacher to ask for help?  What is the goal they have for this class or goal?  What would qualify as success?  How willing are they do attend to the help they are receiving?  Who ultimately is responsible for the learning?  These are just some of the questions students should ask, but in my experience, most students need the teacher or tutor needs to ask them these questions to make the students aware of their situation.