Marissa

Certified Tutor

As an undergraduate, I pursued my degree at a four-year university program in Secondary Education English (7-12th grade). I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in this concentration and obtained my teaching certification for the high school level.

Throughout my undergraduate career, I had an abundance of opportunities to gain experience in the high school setting, as I had to complete a set requirement of observation hours throughout my program. Additionally, I had to undergo a student-teaching experience for the last semester of my undergraduate career where I was to teach under a cooperating teacher in a nearby school district. During my student teaching experience, I worked with ninth grade World Literature, Pre-AP (Pre-Advanced Placement) eleventh grade, and AP (Advanced Placement) twelfth grade. Part of the challenge for me during this time came with working with multiple class levels that each had their set of needs. However, with this challenge, I learned how to adapt and be flexible with my students and question how I could create lessons that would feel more beneficial to them in their individual learning processes.

While I enjoyed my experience in the high school setting, I also learned from my experience that I have a love for learning. Likewise, as I consider myself as a life-long learner, I questioned how I could cultivate a career for myself with the knowledge I have already gained and continue to learn at the same time. After giving the matter some thought, I decided that teaching at the university level would be a great fit for me, and I spent my final year as an undergraduate applying for Teaching Assistantships in English Master's Degree Programs.

Currently, I am in an English M.A Program as a Teaching Assistant within the Department. I teach composition classes at two different levels (ENG 1 and ENG 2). Both sections of the composition classes that I teach are introductory courses that are designed to help students understand their individual writing processes. Also, I work within the University's Learning Center as a Writing Tutor for all students on campus ranging from first-year students to the graduate level. My experiences within my Master's Program have helped me to improve not only my writing but also useful teaching methods to help other students with their writing.

I believe that one characteristic that I have when it comes to educating that is most helpful to my students is my patience. I am willing to stop what we are currently working on so that we might address some other aspect of the content. I think it is important to continually question what we are learning, and find different approaches that best fit the student's learning needs. For example, if we are editing a paper, and both the student and I recognize that there is a reoccurring issue, I find it beneficial to make a note of the issue and address is alongside our other work.

I especially enjoy literature, specifically American Literature. So, I am always excited to have a discussion regarded to these topics. However, I do love writing in general even as one of my hobbies, so engaging in other people's writing processes is always enjoyable and beneficial to both myself and the students I help. As a tutor, I hope that we both learn from each other.

Some of my additional interests:
I love nature, so I like to try to spend a lot of time outdoors or traveling. I also enjoy exercising, fitness activities, and anything artsy such as pottery making or DIY projects.

I look forward to working with you!