About Me

My academic training, passion and talent for interdisciplinary research and teaching, specifically in Literature, American History, World History, Women's History and Performance Studies were honed in the American Studies graduate program at the College of William and Mary, where I earned the Ph.D. I also hold the M.A. in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY) and am a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.A. English Literature and Linguistics).A crucial component of my educational experience has included international travel, sparked by experience as a foreign exchange student both to France and Germany. In college, I minored in German. Subsequently, I also enjoy tutoring in German. As an academic, my scholarship has taken me to over seventeen countries, including Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Holland, South Africa, and many, many trips to France and Germany. For the past fifteen years, I have enjoyed a plethora of teaching experiences from academic posts, to tutoring and consultant work--and even to adult courses for non-matriculating students. Beyond the college liberal arts classroom detailed below, I have also garnered high school teaching experience in Manhattan's private, progressive schools. For example, I was a sick-leave replacement faculty member in U.S. history in the Upper School at The Calhoun School (2006), where I taught eleventh grade high school students. The keystone experience of 11th grade curriculum at Calhoun is an interdisciplinary research paper, which earns credit it both a student's U.S. History course and their English course. Drawing on my interdisciplinary experience, I successfully guided students through research skills, literary analysis and the tools requisite for historical perspective. Another example includes my experience working in New York City public schools, K-12, as a Curriculum/Professional Development consultant with Ventures Education Systems Corporation (VESC). As a consultant for this national school reform and professional development organization, I designed and delivered workshops in balanced literarcy, test preparation and critical thinking. I evaluated curriculum for elementary/middle school language arts and social studies and developed teaching guides with objectives, essential questions, activities, ongoing assessments, and state standards alignment. For the past several summers, I offered SAT prep tutoring at Mini Ivy in Lower Manhattan, working with students in the age range of 13-18, primarily on preparation for the SAT but also in essay writing. I have taught literature, history, jazz studies and women's studies at a plethora of the nation's ivy league universities and best liberal arts colleges, including: Columbia University (NY); Sarah Lawrence College (NY); Hunter College (NY); and Brown University (RI).

Education & Certifications

Q&A with LaShonda

Tutoring Subjects