Experience Summary
12 years of one-on one tutoring Latin and German,
5 years of teaching high school German (I have also lived and worked in Germany), and
18 years as a Latin teacher.
While I have taught a wide range of subjects and ages, German and Latin are my current preferred subject areas. I have tutored, or classroom taught, language students from ages nine through adult, including married couples, and currently teach a German four hours per week teens' class.
Teaching Style
No, absolutely no pressure at any time. Patience, patience, patience. And there can't be too much encouragement. I aim to foster a love of learning and a genuine interest in the subject matter. It really should be fun, and if it's not, I wouldn't be doing my job.
My Hobbies
I read mystery and historical fiction, with a particular interest in ancient history. As part of developing my own Latin and German instructional materials, I very much enjoy writing short stories in those languages. I am also a licensed scuba diver with a collection of photographs I have taken of coral, fish, and other reef life.
| German |
 This is one of my top subjects!
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| I hold a BA degree in German and an MAT as well as having lived and worked in Germany. In tutoring, I will work with any text with which the student requires assistance. When the choice of text is left to me, I prefer the Deutsch Aktuell series. Supplemental reading of children's books, like Charlotte's Web in German, is available if desired, in order to provide grammar and vocabulary reinforcement. I also make extensive use of German language websites such as the German versions of Sesame Street and Yahoo as well as Deutsche Welle. |
| Latin |
This is one of my top subjects!
|
| I have an MAT degree and have taught Latin I, II, and III for 25 years. I will gladly work with the Cambridge or Ecce Romani textbook series or with my own materials which incorporate the best of both of these. The goal of my instruction is reading knowledge of Latin as opposed to the memorization of a grammar that does not apply to English. The stories I use to teach reading classical Latin center around the everyday lives of Roman families and their slaves, not military and political events.
This is the vocabulary of everyday Roman life that has passed its roots into English, and so this is the Latin that should be learned in order to enhance one's English vocabulary. Additionally, the everyday lives of the Romans were far more strange and interesting than anything that occurred on their battlefields or on the floor of their Senate. The emphases of this course are adventure and wonder. |