I recently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Education Studies and English. While at Vanderbilt, I learned the best practices for developing literacy in secondary education students. At school, we examined the problems with deficit learning, a type of teaching all too common in schools today. Deficit learning focuses on what a student doesn't know, what (s)he isn't able to do. This kind of instruction can be overwhelming for some students. That's why I've dedicated myself as a tutor to reversing this trend, and encouraging students to recognize the skills they already have, and use them to solve new, bigger problems. I've worked with students as young as five years old, all the way to graduate students working on their post-doc's. I always bring a positive energy to tutoring sessions, and I try to inspire a real love of learning in all my students. In my spare time I enjoy live theatre, and I've even been known to get on stage myself from time to time.