Deanne

Certified Tutor

I am currently a remote-based student at Knox College. I study Foreign Languages, Latin American Studies, and Philosophy (my major is in Spanish/Latin American Studies and my minors will be in French and Philosophy). I am in my final term of studies, which is being used solely to prepare a thesis for graduate school applications and future publication. In my leisure time, I enjoy numerous outdoor/wilderness activities, learning about any and every topic, and exploring the world around me. While at Knox, I gained hands-on experience serving as a T.A. in two courses, the second of which I designed and instructed under the supervision of a professor. As a result of my studies, I have traveled extensively throughout Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. I also spent 3 months living in Spain where I took several specialized courses focused on heritage-Spanish and the advanced structure of the language. Additionally, I have performed in-depth studies of several cultures and dialects from the Latin American world, including Caribbean, Argentinian, Central American, Iberian, and migratory populations currently residing in the United States.
In grade school, I discovered my passion for teaching as a peer mentor and reading tutor for kindergarten students. I followed this passion fervently as I matured. As an after-school tutor from ages 10-16, I discovered that many students were falling behind in their subjects for a variety of reasons, but most commonly because they were underprepared for a more independent type of education. Students could reproduce the answers that were provided for them, but were unable to think critically about the material. My teaching philosophy is firmly rooted in that observation: I am an avid believer that education should be a journey of discovery and derived through the analytic, independent thought of the student which is guided and facilitated by the educator. Through the application of this approach, students emerge from my tutelage with better test scores, higher potential for success, and higher self-esteem. Students feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves when they are able to not only learn the material, but also understand what they are learning.