Jess: Blue Island tutor
Certified Tutor
I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Anthropology and Dramatic Art, both with distinction. I also completed an honors thesis and minor in Fiction Writing. I was awarded the Robertson Scholarship, which provided full tuition, housing, and summer funding. During college, I traveled to New Orleans, France, and China to study non-profit arts management, theatre, and martial arts. I now spend my summers teaching theatre and ethics and the Governor's School of North Carolina, a public summer program for gifted high school students. I tutor many subjects in the humanities and social sciences, including English Literature and Language, Essay Composition and Writing, Anthropology, Sociology, Theatre Topics, and Public Speaking. I am qualified to tutor related AP classes, as well as the critical reading and writing sections of the PSAT and SAT. I am incredibly passionate about these subjects, and have made a perfect score on every standardized writing exam I have ever taken. As a teacher, I believe every student has the right and ability to excel, and I acknowledge that every student learns differently. I always take the time to identify how my students learn best and adapt my teaching methods to meet their needs. I have developed teaching methods for all styles of learners that include kinesthetic activities, cartooning, and guided conversations. I firmly believe that outstanding achievement can, and should be, accessible to all students. Outside of education, I work as a properties designer for theatrical productions and build puppets, masks, and other special objects for the stage. I'm also expanding my cooking repertoire, though my specialty (and guilty pleasure) is Southern soul food. My biscuit recipe is my closest guarded secret.
Connect with a tutor like Jess
Undergraduate Degree: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Bachelors, Anthropology and Dramatic Art
- SAT Writing: 700
Theatre, cooking, martial arts, puppetry, cartooning, crafting, science-fiction, and brunch.
- Advanced Placement Prep
- Anthropology
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Homework Support
- Other
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Writing Skills
- Public Speaking
- SAT Reading
- SAT Writing and Language
- Social Sciences
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that every student has the right and ability to achieve, and that every student has a different way of learning. I make it my first priority to learn what methods are most effective for each student, and adapt my teaching to the student's learning style.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would get to know the student first. By identifying a student's passions and aspirations, I can integrate the subjects with which they are struggling with their interests, which makes the learning experience more accessible and fun.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Socrates said, "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." I keep this as my teaching model. I can teach how to pass a test, but more importantly, I teach a desire for knowledge. By identifying a student's learning style and interests, I find additional levels of engagement beyond the required material to instill a desire for knowledge after the bubble sheet.