Experience Summary
With a BA in English and Minor in Mass Communications, I pursued careers utilizing my writing, editing, and communication talents. Five years in the professional world helped me realize my passion lies in teaching English composition. Thus, I decided to attend graduate school for an MA in English in order to fulfill my passion. During this time, I gained intensive training centered around composition theories and methods, linguistics, written assessments, and rhetoric. In addition to attending full-time graduate school, I was also a graduate teaching assistant responsible for developing and presenting curricula aimed at helping students discern different situations, aims and purposes in writing. I presented 50 plus class sessions per semester to 25 students, ranging in age from 18-62 and originating from seven different countries. While my MA coursework is completed, I am currently writing my thesis discussing the successes and limitations of expressive pedagogy in the composition classroom.
Teaching Style
As a first-year college writing instructor, I became aware of the challenges young writers face, such as generating topics, organization, grammatical issues, and lack of writing confidence. I also realized it was essential for me to vary my pedagogical practices in order to meet the educational needs of all students, ranging from English language learners, to individuals who learn better visually, to those who need more hands-on practice. In addition, I also implemented one-on-one coaching sessions and workshops, learning methods that contribute to young writers’ success. Tutors significantly impact student writers with intensive one-on-one instruction. They serve as coaches working with student writers to increase their ability to write successfully in the varying contexts surrounding them. Thus, I believe it is important to provide students with a wide range of resources, including one-on-one work with trained tutors, instructional workshops, handouts, and models to teach the often difficult writing process.