I am a recently returned Peace Corps Volunteer. I spent two years in a small city in northern Jordan, where my primary assignment was teaching English at an elementary school. In addition to teaching the assigned curriculum in the classroom, I focused on remedial English and phonics in small groups and one-on-one sessions. I also led extra-curricular activities in environmental education, drama, music, art, and writing. I graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. I majored in English and received high honors for my senior thesis on women's poetry of the Beat Generation. While in school I volunteered tutoring adults in ESL and GED preparation. Currently, I tutor in all areas of English and Language Arts- from basic reading and phonics skills to AP Literature, ESL to SAT Verbal and Writing prep. My favorite subject to tutor is writing and composition skills- I love helping students of all levels find their voice. Reading critically and writing clearly are two of the most important skills students can learn, and I firmly believe every student can excel in these areas. My personal teaching philosophy is that learning should be fun. I will work hard to connect students' tutoring needs with their personal interests, whether it's making phonics practice into a fun game, or showing how literary concepts exist in popular culture as much as they do in the classics. For fun, I enjoy running, music (I play cello and piano), reading just about everything, and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers.