Experience Summary
I have been teaching English Composition at the college (freshman) level for the past three years. Thus, I feel I would be especially helpful as a tutor for high school students who are interested in both understanding what will be expected of them in college English/writing courses and ensuring that their own writing skills meet those standards. I hold a Masters degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing and am currently working on my Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry at Purdue. I am familiar with the canonical works of English literature taught in most high school and college curricula. I would be equally capable and eager to assist undergrad/grad students.
Teaching Style
Students learn to write by writing (and by reading). I have used a number of different text books but I find that students learn best when writing about something that matters to them. My approach to tutoring, then, would be to find out what a student truly cares about and start from there. In addition, I would begin by taking a diagnostic writing sample in order to see what mechanical issues seemed most important to address. I would never attempt to tutor a student with some kind of formulaic, standardized regimen of study but would work my hardest to tailor tutoring sessions to the individual needs of each student.