Cathy: Homewood tutor

Certified Tutor

My entire career has been about human development. I have worked with all ages--from infants and toddlers through 80+ year olds. I truly believe in lifelong learning. My work with Varsity Tutors has been focused on creative writing, phonics, adult literacy, and English language learning. My approach starts with learning the interests and skills of the students to ensure I develop engaging lessons designed to meet student goals. I am certified to teach English as a foreign language. My experience includes working with adults just starting to learn English, adults with considerable knowledge and experience, and advanced learners. Conversation tutoring helps build confidence and vocabulary. American accent training helps learners sound more like native speakers. I have worked with students from around the world including China, Korea, South America, Jamaica, and Africa. I offered virtual and in-person writing courses through a local public school system's adult and community education program from 2016 through 2020. I have also offered virtual and in-person courses and one-on-one tutoring for children and adults through my own company, CStarsky Lifelong Learning LLC, since 2014. I started teaching writing courses focused on documenting personal history because we all have stories to tell and can learn from each other. I wanted to give people an opportunity to share their stories with friends, family, and future generations. Adults who enrolled in my course often seemed to focus on writing fiction, so I created the "Storytelling: Painting Pictures with Words" course. We focus on strategies to capture the attention of the target audience. I emphasize using imagery and engaging all of the senses in this course. Over the years I have traveled extensively across the US. I have even been to Alaska three times. My overseas travel has included Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea. I was born in Ohio. My family moved to Miami, Florida at the end of my 4th grade year. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Child Development at Florida State University, my Master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University, and my Ph.D. in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia. I currently live in Burke, Virginia but plan to move back to Colorado in the near future