Shannon: Shorewood tutor

Certified Tutor

I'm originally from St. Louis, MO and did both my undergrad and graduate degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (BA, 2016: French, English, European studies minor; Master's, 2019: Professional French Master's Program, business concentration). I recently moved to Charleston to continue working in the wine industry.

I've tutored French at the high school, college, and conversational level, as well as English to native French speakers during my year as an English teaching assistant (Teaching Assistant Program in France, 2015-2016). I truly believe that learning a foreign language is a lifelong pursuit, which is how I approach my own learning as well as my teaching. I love the nitty-gritty grammar of language and have taken a number of linguistic courses, in both French and in English, like phonetics, phonology, and syntax. That said, the most important aspect of language is being able to communicate with someone else. I like to focus on conversation and pronunciation with my students, building their confidence in their oral expression and comprehension.

I've always been an avid reader and writer. While my English major concentration was linguistics, writing and literary analysis have always been my academic backbone. I have experience in blog writing, AP-style journalism, literary analysis, and research-based writing. My personal favorites come from the Victorian era, the Lost Generation, and early 20th century French literature. My favorite English book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, although Hemingway is my favorite author, and my favorite French book is L'Etranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus.

My French studies have allowed me to travel all over France and Europe. I've lived in France 3 times: studying abroad as a junior in Aix-en-Provence (August 2014-May 2015), working as a teaching assistant near Bordeaux (October 2016-April 2017), and interning in Paris as part of my Master's (October 2018-May 2019). In total, I've visited 20 countries in Europe!

Outside of travel, my hobbies include: reading, running, practicing yoga, cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers, spending time outside, and exploring Charleston (especially the food scene!).