Experience Summary
I have a B.S. in Technical Journalism from Iowa State University. I worked on a sales magazine upon graduating
until I was drafted into the armed forces, spending four years as a Navy Electronics Technician. On the G.I. Bill
I did Television Production coursework at College of San Mateo and entered the Broadcast TV Graduate Program at
San Francisco State. I did not complete my Master's degree, but my training and contacts made there led to a
35-year career in television and video editing.
Teaching Style
Very informal and conversational. I like to laugh and joke as well as understand things that are challenging,
to both pupil and teacher. Repetition with interesting variation, coming at a problem from different angles
solidifies concepts and ideas in our heads.
My Hobbies
It's more than a hobby -- I've played jazz piano since high school, as well as brass (trumpet, baritone, valve
trombone) and make part of my living as a performer solo and in bands. My favorite activity is improvising to
the chord changes of a familiar tune, finding fresh ways to express the composers' harmonic ideas.
I like taking things apart and making them work again, particularly electronics.
Other Comments
I'm very aware of the effect of tone of voice on people's self-esteem, and am convinced that being kind and gentle
is the best antidote to the bruising our ego gets from modern life.
| Creative Writing |
Proficiency: I know the basics
|
| I have an active imagination and like brainstorming with others to
come up with ideas for stories. |
| Grammar |
Proficiency: I know the basics
|
| I like to edit written pieces to find and correct grammatical errors. |
| Journalism |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I have a Journalism Degree from Iowa State University. I like to
find the lead (most newsworthy point) to begin the story, make it clear and
concise, and make it as complete and unbiased as possible. |
| Reading |
Proficiency: I know the basics
|
| I enjoy reading to gain understanding of concepts, particularly British
writers. My first love was Winnie the Pooh author A.A.Milne, for his sense of humor and style. |
| Reading Comprehension |
Proficiency: I know the basics
|
| I'll re-read portions of writing I don't understand until the meaning
becomes clear; if the writer is a good one, I usually "get it" on the
first read. I do enjoy discussing with other readers what the author's point is. |
| Spelling |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| The high point of my grade school career was winning a spelling bee as a 4th
grader in competition with 4th and 5th graders. I took Latin in high school,
which has greatly helped my recognizing meaning and spelling unfamiliar words. I'm something of a word freak, my favorite newspaper puzzle being the Jumble, recognizing scrambled words; also like to do crossword puzzles, play Scrabble. |
| Writing |
Proficiency: Experienced
|
| I've enjoyed writing letters and analyzing problems in memos at work my
whole life. I love communicating with others, questioning to clarify meaning,
boiling down wordy and redundant first drafts to lean and clear description. |