CWF All-Star Tutoring

Hello! My academic and teaching interests are quite varied, and I enjoy working with students of all ages - I have closely worked with middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, and individuals pursuing postgraduate (e.g. Masters, Phd, etc.) degrees. Generally speaking, when collaborating with and helping students for the first time, I work with students to determine what your goals and how WE can best reach them. Are you interested in help for a particular subject, or general academic support? Are you struggling with a specific theory or concept? Are you primarily interested in developing your writing skills, or are public speaking skills something you'd like to work on? Maybe it's all of the above! These are just a few examples of things I can potentially help you with.

In my experience, success is best achieved when thought of as a 2-way conversation: not only in terms of what level and depth of support you are looking for, but also in determining what sort of learning style works best for you - verbal, written, audio/visual, etc. Clear, effective communication is critically important, as is trust and understanding each other! Once these important topics are discussed, a mutual strategy can be settled upon that works toward these goals. Using individualized approaches and unique, student-focused strategies, I will do my very best to assist you in pursuit of your goals.

Following my graduation from the University of Virginia with degrees in Government and History (Honors), I taught in the United Kingdom before returning to the United States to work in Washington, DC for the US House of Representatives. I completed my PhD in Political Science at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and while doing so I taught extensively at all levels of the university system - lecturing, tutoring in small groups, and providing academic support in 1:1 settings. These classroom, practical, and individual experiences have really emphasized how important clear communication, individualized approaches, and creative teaching techniques are to reaching students' full potential...something I hope I can do for you! 

Just like my approach to teaching and tutoring, I believe pricing should be individualized, based on the level of support you are seeking and the particular details on your situation.

More in-depth support that requires more input and preparation time will involve a higher rate, and vice versa for less-involved levels of support, but this is best determined following discussions of what you desire from me as a tutor. Pricing can be arranged on a per-session basis, or a package deal involving multiple sessions if something more long-term is preferred. I truly love teaching, and most of all seeing students make the most out of themselves and the opportunities presented to them.

I began teaching as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, leading a seminar entitled "Mr. Jefferson's University" for fellow undergraduates. From the start, I knew I had a passion for teaching others. Upon graduation, I taught Religious Studies and History at an elite boarding school in the United Kingdom (grades 8-9).

After several years working in Washington, DC for the House of Representatives, I left for Australia to begin my doctoral studies in Political Science at the University of Melbourne. I immediately resumed my teaching career, and over the next several years I taught at all academic levels of the University, from 1st-year introductory classes to seminars for graduate students.

This also included small group tutorials and individual sessions tailored to the particular needs of different students across many different subjects. These experiences further reinforced my love of teaching, developed my approach to effective communication, and my passion for helping students reach their full academic potential. I want to help YOU! :)

As mentioned above, I have worked with many different levels of students, ranging from middle and high schoolers to students pursuing Masters degrees at University. I have also worked individually with students from many different racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds, with very different academic histories and objectives going forward.

These experiences crossed 3 continents and involved  highly diverse communities of students at every stage. This diversity has unquestionably made me a better teacher and tutor, since it requires a flexible and strategic approach that places the student's individual situation and needs first and foremost.

One of my favorite recent events didn't involve a traditional students, a classroom, or a Zoom call. I was working at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle (check it out if you haven't!), and a small group of Japanese dignataries arrived. The situation allowed me to share my knowledge of the history of coffee in Japan (which is fascinating, and a passion I had developed prior to their visit) to natives of that country and describe the many contributions that Japan has made to the world of coffee.

While language represented somewhat of a barrier, it forced me to specifically tailor my communication and teaching approach to my guests - something I recognized and developed through my experiences teaching varied and diverse groups of students throughout my teaching career. They were incredibly appreciative, and probably surprised that of all the people that worked at the Roastery, they happened to come across me!

Effective tutoring is about more than knowledge of the subject at hand, important as that obviously is. It's also about developing an effective and trusting relationship that allows for clear communication and understanding of the needs and goals of the particular student. If a student doesn't "click" with a tutor, for whatever reason, it can be difficult to establish that relationship, which will usually negatively influence any outcomes.

Academic challenges in a particular subject are not always just about the topic at hand. It might be about overall academic skills, or appreciating how and why particular historical documents were written when they were, for instance. For this reason, it's important that students and tutors work together to develop goals for the future and strategies to reach them.

I would suggest to any student seeking academic help to have this sort of conversation with potential tutors, and then revisit it after a few sessions. In addition to boosting your confidence, it also means that clear and trusting communication remains at the center of the student-tutor relationship and that both individuals are moving forward together.

To get the best outcome possible, students should consider a few important questions. One is thinking about what it is they are seeking from a teacher/tutor. Is it about help on a particular topic, or improving overall academic skills? Are you looking for help with overall subject material, or working on how to better appreciate the context of particular reading material?

Another really important question is to consider how you learn best and process information. This applies across nearly all disciplines, and everyone is a little bit different - the definition of a "no wrong answers" question. Are you more of a verbal, talk-it-out type learner? Is written material an effective way for you to digest information? Do you respond well to audio-visual presentations? Spending some time considering these questions can go a long way towards developing effective teaching and learning stragies between the student and tutor.

Another important consideration that will impact the student-tutor relationship involves what level of commitment the student is seeking. A lot of this will revolve around individual schedules and circumstances. Are you interested in 1 two-hour session per week, or do you prefer 3 one-hour sessions per week? That's something that will obviously be worked out between the student and tutor in their initial meeting, but giving it some thought ahead of time can go a long way towards developing a productive relationship from the start.