"I am the first man in twelve generations in my family to earn a college degree. I earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree despite being disabled from birth and coming from a broken home. I believe that I can inspire my students to reach deep within themselves to attain their fullest potential and lead meaningful productive lives.

Only through hard work is a satisfying life achieved. I learned this the hard way, and I struggle to live by this every day.

I tutored student on a one-on-one basis in grammar, composition, and mechanics for nine months at a local community college. From this experience I learned that the tutor and his/her students must strike a balance between teaching a student and giving them the answers. In any educational endeavor, there is always give and take. In the field of composition, I believe that this is best accomplished through adherence to the conventions of the English language, the study of grammar and the conventions of style, and the creation of texts with specific rhetorical goals in mind. In this way, a tutor can best help his/her students succeed in all areas of life.

Without going into great detail, I believe that an adherence to a formalist pedagogy allows the greatest number of students to learn to write effectively.

I wish to emphasize that I am disabled and that I can only tutor in a few public places within 3-5 miles of my home, but I fervently want to make a meaningful contribution to society." less...