A Brit by birth, I grew up bilingually between London and Cahors, a small town in Southwest France. I attended the local lycee and passed the baccalaureat with high grades. My B.A., from University College London, is in French Language and Literature. I spent a year in Martinique (French West Indies) teaching English in a local middle school. I've worked as a home tutor in a variety of subjects for middle school and high school students in London. I've taught adults too: I brought my passion for, and training in, landscape architecture to the New York Botanical Garden, where I was an instructor in the History of Landscape Design. I find tutoring so worthwhile that I also do it on a volunteer basis: I'm currently teaching English as another language to new Americans. I've been told I'm a good listener, and I believe people learn best in a participative, supportive environment. My experience has been that teaching, done well, is a two-way street: tutor and student learn from each other. My family is still in France (Paris, Rouen, and Cahors), so I return every year. A raging Francophile, I'm usually immersed in French culture, even from across the pond: France Inter is my favorite radio station, and I enjoy contemporary French fiction.

Reading, especially contemporary fiction; gardening; bridge; biking and swimming