Ryan: Winnetka tutor

Certified Tutor

I'm passionate about helping students because not too many years ago I was uncomfortably seated on the opposite side of the teacher's desk. An extremely smart and capable student, I was too proud or embarrassed to ask for outside help. When I reached college and began preparing for my professional academic career, I realized I didn't possess many of the skills necessary to allow my writing and academics to grow. Through working with my professors and professional tutors on campus, I fell in love with the rewarding work tutoring and teaching offers in allowing students to not only explore themselves but do so in a way that empowers them.

I received my Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Adolescent English Education (7-12) with a minor in Special Education in 2012 from Keuka College in western New York State. Shortly after, in 2015, I was awarded a Master's of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University's online degree program.

Professionally, I have worked with Middle School, High School, and College-level students in a variety of different classrooms and environments. As a Professional Writing Tutor and eventually an Instructor of English at the State University of Cobleskill at New York, I worked one-on-one with students across all content curriculums in a newly installed and self-autonomous Writing Center. As an Instructor within the English Department at the college, I taught five in-classroom Compositions courses a semester with a caseload of 120 first-year college students from all across the country and world.

Currently I am approved to teach/tutor the following subjects:
- Academic Coaching
- Admissions
- College Application Essays
- Creative Writing
- Middle School English
- Middle School Writing
- High School English
- High School Writing
- Public Speaking
- Presentation Skills
- Study Skills/Organization
- Writing

All of these subjects hold an important place in the fabric of our professional and academic selves. My favorite subject to teach and tutor is writing at any level. There's a certain power to writing that allows students to explore themselves and their environment through many different lenses. In those moments of self-discovery, we write to grow and learn about ourselves in the process.

As a TEACHER, my philosophy revolves primarily around the power of scaffolding and allowing students to learn from each other as much as they learn from me. I'm an enormous believer in the use of the unique dynamic of each individual class to allow students to learn and grow in a safe, accepting and diverse environment that reflects the scope of the real world. As a TUTOR, I believe my hands should never touch another student's pencil. An effective tutor does not complete work for their students but instead advises and guides their pencil from a supporting, adjacent position.

Outside of academia, I have many passions! A drummer of 17 years, a cook of 15 years, and a Stand-Up Comedian of 8 years, I enjoy time spent in the kitchen, behind my drumset, or on stage fishing for laughter. A relatively new resident of Florida, I enjoy exploring the water, beaches, and hiking trails of inner-coastal Southern Florida.