Daniel
Certified Tutor
My name is Daniel J Cecil and I'm an MFA student in creative writing and a Teaching Assistant at the University of Washington, Seattle campus. I have over 7 years of experience as a professional writer, and extensive training in expository writing and rhetorical approaches to writingin other words, I'm well prepared to make you a better reader, writer, proofreader, and thinker.
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Undergraduate Degree: Baldwin-Wallace College - Bachelors, Theater
Graduate Degree: University of Washington-Seattle Campus - Current Grad Student, Creative Writing, Fiction
- GRE Verbal: 165
Reading, long distance running, biking
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- English
- Essay Editing
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE Analytical Writing
- GRE Verbal
- High School English
- Literature
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
My philosophy is that writing is best taught with the big picture in mind. Instead of focusing first on grammar and punctuation (both important), I help students work on their organizational skills, their ability to form strong arguments, and their power to execute those ideas with precision. Only then do we work on the frustrating task of editing. Contact me to begin improving your reading and writing skills today.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I want to know my students. So, during the first session, I ask questions, and I listen. What are the students' incoming skills? What weaknesses do the students feel they have? And finally, where do the students wish their ability to be after our work together.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I believe that the best students are those who can think for themselves. Instead of giving answers, I ask open questions to generate a student's thought process. Learning by doing.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I do this by building skills one by one. This gives the student milestones to strive for. In this way, the student never feels as though they don't "get it." Writing, in the end, is a process.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Over time, we can dedicate entire sessions towards improving those skills.