"My love for English has been there since the first time I picked up a book and started reading, around age 4. Since then I've sought to share the passion I felt with others, and depending on how receptive they were, succeeded to varying degrees. I've taught the kid next to me on the bus, as well as a roomful of non-fluent students trying to grasp the language, and loved every minute of each extreme.

Basically, my approach is a combination of hard work on the student's part, as well as fun and games as rewards and teaching opportunities. Usually I have a certain amount of work that I deem as needing to get done, which is calculated to take about half the study time. Following this, should the work be completed satisfactorily, is a game that utilizes the skills taught or reinforces them to a degree. This offers an incentive as well as a fun learning atmosphere, which I feel encourages a student to improve at a speedier pace than they might were their approach a simple slogging through of material.

While I love to work with students who have a true love for the subject, rarely are these the ones who need help. As such, I do enjoy the challenge of trying to get others to share my passion. A recalcitrant reader or a stubborn text crazy teen who refuses to learn to write properly, both of these provide a challenge I take personal pleasure in trying to reach.

From February to April of 2011 I was teaching two classes of 40 students each at the Shandong Institute of Business and Technology in Yantai, Shandong Province, China. Before this I've done various tutoring jobs for family friends, mostly in English, but also in lower level math (3-4th grade). From January to April of 2016 I taught SAT prep at Advancing Core English in Suzhou, China. For now on this site I'm going to focus on the various aspects of English, since that is decidedly my strong point.

Hopefully this 'About Me' bit provides a taste of who I am, and that I'll hear from you soon to schedule a tutoring session to meet your needs." less...