Experience Summary
As a Master of Arts (Counseling & Human Development) Graduate, I learned that I was a lot more focused in graduate school than I was in my Bachelor of Arts program or in my first 12 years of learning. I think that was because the classes I was taking ran concurrent with my actually being out in the field working, learning things that were similar to what I was actually learning in the classroom. Having practical life experiences to apply to my textbook examples and my essay questions on tests made it all make so much more sense! I have tutored children through local Boys and Girls Clubs and mentored a High School student who was enrolled in Early College High School (College & HS concurrently)
Teaching Style
I believe in the "learning-centered" approach, which says that individual learners are empowered to direct and control their own learning experiences, with teachers/tutors only facilitating that process. With myself as an example, in my first two-three years of college, I didn’t buy the books recommended for my classes and managed to get by with B’s and C’s. In my last year or so, wanting to go to graduate school, I bought the books, read the assignments, and was amazed at how much easier the tests became when I was prepared. As a college professor, I could see which students had prepared and which ones, complaining that tests were "too hard", were those who had waited until the last minute to read the assignment or study for the test.