Karin McKie, MFA, compiles curriculum and personalizes teaching for a broad spectrum of students. I know there is no better, nor more crucial, calling than helping learners communicate their voices and realize their educational dreams. I specialize in tutoring all standardized tests, including the LSAT, SAT, PSAT, ACT, GRE, HSPT, ISEE, Accuplacer, STAAR, TOEFL/IELTS, ASVAB, all AP/IB English and history classes, and more. I also created and published a simple reading annotation system and related strategies specifically to tackle timed tests, as well as teaching critical reading, comparative literature, public speaking, and theater. As a professional writer and editor, I coach students in persuasive writing for schoolwork, college application and supplemental essays, internship and job applications, and the like. For decades, I've taught and lectured at universities, schools, and with individuals in Chicagoland and the Bay Area, and to online students of all ages around the world. I customize study plans with learners and their advocates to utilize existing abilities and add new techniques to reach personal and scholastic goals. I have a BS in Communications and Theater, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have completed Continuing Education courses at Stanford, Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I'm a professional features writer and culture critic. I've edited Perspective design journal and Reed literary magazine and have performed memoir essays I've written on Chicago Public Radio. I come from a family of teachers and was fortunate to grow up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where my anthropologist mom was Education Director. Since early childhood, I've been immersed in multicultural and ELL education. I've devoted my personal and professional time to diversity and storytelling, starting at public TV station WETA in my hometown outside Washington, D.C., where I was certified as a trainer with Sesame Street's Preschool Education Project. I've also taught creativity and teambuilding through improvisation to all ages (as well as creating a kids summer camp), reading for the SAG Foundations BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program, plus reading and writing skills to at-risk students through the Park District's Kraft Great Kids Program. I've assisted many of my arts marketing clients, including Barrel of Monkeys and Kidworks Touring Theatre, with youth literacy programs at schools and libraries throughout the Windy City.

I am fortunate; I get to do the best job in the world. While teaching is my second career, it was always what I wanted to do. When I graduated from college, I was offered a position with my college's admissions and marketing office, where I had been working to put myself through school. It was a tremendous opportunity, and launched an eighteen-year career helping high school students make important decisions about their futures, and navigate an often complex admissions and financial aid system. I loved working with students, being around bright, engaging people, and doing work that made a difference. But each time I walked through a high school to present a workshop on writing college essays or preparing for college interviews, I was reminded of how deeply I still wanted to be in a classroom. So I took the plunge, and now spend my days teaching social studies to great students at a great school. I have taught world history, American history, sociology, psychology, economics, and even developed a high school course in teaching for students seeking a career in education. I am passionate about understanding how the past has shaped the present, and helping students recognize their critical role in protecting and preserving democracy. In addition to teaching course curricula, I work with students on writing skills, standardized test preparation, and college essays, because all of these skills will help them reach their academic goals. As a teacher, I believe that it is critical to help students develop the ability to regulate their own learning, and implement meta-cognitive strategies that will serve them in college and beyond. When I'm not teaching, I am a mom to a high school sophomore, a long-distance mom to two college students, a gardener who grows lots of organic vegetables, and an avid reader of anything historical. If I can help you in a specific subject area, or with essays, test preparation, or homework support, either face-to-face or on-line, let me know!

I have always been driven to share my own passion for learning. While I was in high school, I tutored my peers after school. At college, I continued tutoring, but I also taught a class to middle-schoolers for a semester. Now, professionally, I teach seminars on Government and Politics. I went to Tulane University where I triple majored in Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, and Philosophy. I tutor STEM topics, government, and test prep. My philosophy of education is that everyone is unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow. It is my desire to create this type of atmosphere where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a motivating environment where students are encouraged to take risks and strive for success. My teaching style is largely as a facilitator helping students overcome their obstacles.

Hello, my name is Vaibhav Sharma and I am a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. I majored in neuroscience and chemistry and while I was in college I spent my time volunteering at local hospitals and researching novel neuroscience techniques. I will attend medical school at Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College this fall. Having taken all of the science classes since high school, I know how daunting and hard science material might seem but if taken at a very fundamental level, it is much more logical and simpler than how many high school teachers or college professors make it seem. Thats how I approach tutoring my clients. I try to use practical examples on how the science principles come into play in the real world.

Embarking on the journey of education can be an exciting and equally anxiety provoking endeavor. There are many exams to take, projects to complete, and deadlines to meet. This is in no way an easy journey but it is a worthwhile one. A journey that will see you grow into your true potential. Whenever you gain a new piece of understanding of the world around you, your perception of the world forever changes, you see things you could not see before. This is a magical process; my life is dedicated to facilitating this process for others. I began my own journey of higher education with the Biological Sciences. During my third year of college I constantly found myself in a position where I was helping my peers understand the material and I realized that I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. I began working as a tutor at my college and then worked as a teaching assistant in the Gross Anatomy and Cell Biology Labs. From there I went to medical school in Brooklyn, NY. During medical school I continued developing my passion for teaching. Running tutoring sessions for my peers and underclassmen, organizing a medical education and exposure program for high school students known as HPREP, creating educational materials in the form of video demonstrations, and eventually being hired as an adjunct professor of Gross Anatomy for the Occupational Therapy program at Downstate Medical Center. I am currently in the medical education track at my school and in training to become a full-time faculty member after graduating. My teaching style is focused on meeting the student where they are. I always begin assessing the current knowledge base and level of understanding so I can have a good idea of where to start. From there we will work together and I will adapt my teaching style according to how the student best assimilates knowledge. I take pride in being adaptable and flexible. Thank you for taking the time to read my personal statement. I would be excited to obtain the opportunity to work with you.

Karin McKie, MFA, compiles curriculum and personalizes teaching for a broad spectrum of students. I know there is no better, nor more crucial, calling than helping learners communicate their voices and realize their educational dreams. I specialize in tutoring all standardized tests, including the LSAT, SAT, PSAT, ACT, GRE, HSPT, ISEE, Accuplacer, STAAR, TOEFL/IELTS, ASVAB, all AP/IB English and history classes, and more. I also created and published a simple reading annotation system and related strategies specifically to tackle timed tests, as well as teaching critical reading, comparative literature, public speaking, and theater. As a professional writer and editor, I coach students in persuasive writing for schoolwork, college application and supplemental essays, internship and job applications, and the like. For decades, I've taught and lectured at universities, schools, and with individuals in Chicagoland and the Bay Area, and to online students of all ages around the world. I customize study plans with learners and their advocates to utilize existing abilities and add new techniques to reach personal and scholastic goals. I have a BS in Communications and Theater, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have completed Continuing Education courses at Stanford, Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I'm a professional features writer and culture critic. I've edited Perspective design journal and Reed literary magazine and have performed memoir essays I've written on Chicago Public Radio. I come from a family of teachers and was fortunate to grow up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where my anthropologist mom was Education Director. Since early childhood, I've been immersed in multicultural and ELL education. I've devoted my personal and professional time to diversity and storytelling, starting at public TV station WETA in my hometown outside Washington, D.C., where I was certified as a trainer with Sesame Street's Preschool Education Project. I've also taught creativity and teambuilding through improvisation to all ages (as well as creating a kids summer camp), reading for the SAG Foundations BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program, plus reading and writing skills to at-risk students through the Park District's Kraft Great Kids Program. I've assisted many of my arts marketing clients, including Barrel of Monkeys and Kidworks Touring Theatre, with youth literacy programs at schools and libraries throughout the Windy City.

I am fortunate; I get to do the best job in the world. While teaching is my second career, it was always what I wanted to do. When I graduated from college, I was offered a position with my college's admissions and marketing office, where I had been working to put myself through school. It was a tremendous opportunity, and launched an eighteen-year career helping high school students make important decisions about their futures, and navigate an often complex admissions and financial aid system. I loved working with students, being around bright, engaging people, and doing work that made a difference. But each time I walked through a high school to present a workshop on writing college essays or preparing for college interviews, I was reminded of how deeply I still wanted to be in a classroom. So I took the plunge, and now spend my days teaching social studies to great students at a great school. I have taught world history, American history, sociology, psychology, economics, and even developed a high school course in teaching for students seeking a career in education. I am passionate about understanding how the past has shaped the present, and helping students recognize their critical role in protecting and preserving democracy. In addition to teaching course curricula, I work with students on writing skills, standardized test preparation, and college essays, because all of these skills will help them reach their academic goals. As a teacher, I believe that it is critical to help students develop the ability to regulate their own learning, and implement meta-cognitive strategies that will serve them in college and beyond. When I'm not teaching, I am a mom to a high school sophomore, a long-distance mom to two college students, a gardener who grows lots of organic vegetables, and an avid reader of anything historical. If I can help you in a specific subject area, or with essays, test preparation, or homework support, either face-to-face or on-line, let me know!

I have always been driven to share my own passion for learning. While I was in high school, I tutored my peers after school. At college, I continued tutoring, but I also taught a class to middle-schoolers for a semester. Now, professionally, I teach seminars on Government and Politics. I went to Tulane University where I triple majored in Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, and Philosophy. I tutor STEM topics, government, and test prep. My philosophy of education is that everyone is unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow. It is my desire to create this type of atmosphere where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a motivating environment where students are encouraged to take risks and strive for success. My teaching style is largely as a facilitator helping students overcome their obstacles.

Hello, my name is Vaibhav Sharma and I am a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. I majored in neuroscience and chemistry and while I was in college I spent my time volunteering at local hospitals and researching novel neuroscience techniques. I will attend medical school at Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College this fall. Having taken all of the science classes since high school, I know how daunting and hard science material might seem but if taken at a very fundamental level, it is much more logical and simpler than how many high school teachers or college professors make it seem. Thats how I approach tutoring my clients. I try to use practical examples on how the science principles come into play in the real world.

Embarking on the journey of education can be an exciting and equally anxiety provoking endeavor. There are many exams to take, projects to complete, and deadlines to meet. This is in no way an easy journey but it is a worthwhile one. A journey that will see you grow into your true potential. Whenever you gain a new piece of understanding of the world around you, your perception of the world forever changes, you see things you could not see before. This is a magical process; my life is dedicated to facilitating this process for others. I began my own journey of higher education with the Biological Sciences. During my third year of college I constantly found myself in a position where I was helping my peers understand the material and I realized that I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. I began working as a tutor at my college and then worked as a teaching assistant in the Gross Anatomy and Cell Biology Labs. From there I went to medical school in Brooklyn, NY. During medical school I continued developing my passion for teaching. Running tutoring sessions for my peers and underclassmen, organizing a medical education and exposure program for high school students known as HPREP, creating educational materials in the form of video demonstrations, and eventually being hired as an adjunct professor of Gross Anatomy for the Occupational Therapy program at Downstate Medical Center. I am currently in the medical education track at my school and in training to become a full-time faculty member after graduating. My teaching style is focused on meeting the student where they are. I always begin assessing the current knowledge base and level of understanding so I can have a good idea of where to start. From there we will work together and I will adapt my teaching style according to how the student best assimilates knowledge. I take pride in being adaptable and flexible. Thank you for taking the time to read my personal statement. I would be excited to obtain the opportunity to work with you.