"From 2009, shortly after receiving my Associate's degree, I transferred to Murray State University, where I majored in German and Japanese. Between the two, I tended to focus more heavily on Japanese and my work experience will speak for that as well. After my graduation in 2014, I moved to Japan and spent 6 years teaching children English in the Japanese school system. Due to the level of English my students had, I often had to give lessons in Japanese, so I got a lot of experience in learning how to explain grammatical topics in the Japanese language.

The majority of my students at that time were of Junior High School level. I would come to class along-side the primary teacher of English. My schedule was on a set rotation depending on the day such that I would meet each of the grades and classes of students at least once within the week. On those days, I was given about 75% of the class time in order to facilitate phonics activities or help to explain various grammatical concepts about English. Currently, I teach online and have been doing so for the past 3 years teaching mostly Japanese, but occasionally also beginner German, Spanish, or Dutch as well as TESL for kids and adults.

I've always been interested in linguistics and grammar, so my teaching style does tend to be grammar focused, but I also enjoy exploring different methods of instruction in order to adapt to each of my students' needs. I also tell my students on the first meeting that if they want me to teach at a slower pace, I can; or at a faster pace as well. Students have described my lessons as "well structured, well-paced and thorough."

As far as my fluency is concerned, I consider myself functionally fluent in the Japanese language. On the JLPT, I received certification at the N2 level and nearly passed the final N1 level. Amongst the other languages I speak, I improved them through self-study and social interactions with speakers online and in person from friends I met." less...