Experience Summary
Beginning with my undergraduate career at Dartmouth College, I have gained manifold experience in the needs of students. I was a Apprentice Teacher for the College's Language Study Abroad program in Puebla, Mexico in 2005. There I learned to accommodate the learning needs of a diverse group of more than 20 students. I continued language instruction as an Apprentice Teacher for the Rassias Foundation's Summer Program in Gijón, Spain. I gained extensive experience in writing and translation as I worked on a World Bank funded study of social institutions in Ecuador with the public policy NGO Grupo FARO. I returned to teaching this past year as a Spanish teacher at Prospect Hill Academy Middle School, an urban public charter school in East Somerville, MA. I am now continuing my education at the graduate level, pursuing an MA in cultural anthropology with a focus in environmental anthropology. I am current a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Cathy Small.
Teaching Style
My teacher style reflects my strong beliefs in interaction and relevance as the keys to successful learning. Moreover, teaching in a wide variety of settings has instilled in me the importance of personal attention to the whole student. Professor John Rassias developed the Rassias Method (R)to rapidly teach language to Peace Corps volunteers. It engages the students on a logical, emotional and interpersonal level immediately, mimicking the immersion environment of real international settings to the greatest degree possible. While this level of instruction is the ideal, I have dealt with the most fundamental and challenging situations of homesick students and young people with serious challenges in their personal lives. Such challenges are primary needs, and the pursuit of mastery never overshadows such concerns in my instruction