"My goal as a tutor is to help you succeed and believe in yourself. I am not judgmental. I figure all of us have strengths and weaknesses. If you asked me to jump over a hurdle in a PE class, I'd fumble and fall, and you couldn't help but giggle at me. I'm awful at video games too, but I respect the many amazing gamers out there who can think and act fast.

What I do know how to do is write, read and research well -- following any teacher's instructions exactly. (When I was a classroom reacher, the biggest mistake my students made was flubbing up the instructions and not checking or revising their work before handing it in.) While I like to laugh with you and have fun as I tutor, I'm no pushover. I admire people who listen, try and work hard. I'll show you HOW to write and read better and explain WHY it's critical to become a good writer to succeed in any career -- whether you want to become a professor, plumber, stylist or engineer.

To motivate you, I'll teach in a way that takes into consideration your hobbies and interests. Everybody in this world does better work when he or she enjoys it.

Because I was a professional, full-time newspaper reporter for years and continue to write for and edit media, I know firsthand what it takes to make writing clear, compelling and creative. I've won a few dozen reporting and writing awards and had more than 1,000 bylined articles published in The Indianapolis News and The Indianapolis Star.

I also have a lot of experience in teaching students how to write research papers and stellar essays, whether it's for ISTEP, SAT, the Common App or Ivy League. I've taught writing at four colleges: IUPUI, University of Indianapolis, Ball State and Ivy Tech; at three public high schools: Indianapolis Metropolitan, Lawrence Central and Perry Meridian; and at one private K-8 school: St. Richard's Episcopal School. I also served as a writing coach at Y-Press, a student leadership organization that produced articles for The Indianapolis Star and radio reports for WFYI Public R" less...