"Hi, everyone! If you’re like most people, you’ve probably heard the quote, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” This quote sums up my philosophy on teaching students to become better writers. Simply editing or proofreading a paper for a student will certainly help with that one essay. However, it is not the most effective way to help that student in the long run. Rather, I believe that teaching students to become better writers involves talking through their writing and the writing process. When I tutor students, I typically expect them to do half, if not more, of the speaking. I am not there to simply lecture students on grammar and give them an essay that has been marked up with dozens of corrections. During my sessions with students, I encourage them to talk through their ideas and their writing process. Through discussing their essay or whatever it is we are focusing on during that session, we can better identify their strengths and weaknesses, improve upon those weaknesses, and create a better essay.

This tutoring philosophy is not one that I magicked into being one evening while I was sipping tea. Instead, it is the product of five years of experience working in college writing centers, helping both undergraduate and graduate students with their writing. My goal as a tutor is not to make my students completely dependent on me. Instead, I seek to give students the tools they need to succeed and to become better, more confident writers.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in English and Women's & Gender Studies, with concentrations in creative writing and research intensive English. I then went on to acquire a master’s degree in English. Throughout undergrad and grad school, I spent five years as a writing tutor, working one-on-one with both undergrad and grad students. During that time--and since then--I’ve also worked with high schoolers and college graduates to help them with their practice NY Regents essays, pharmacy" less...