I have a master's degree in history from Portland State University, along with 60 undergraduate history taken in preparation for graduate school. I also earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Oregon.

My teaching experience consists primarily of serving as a teaching assistant for six quarters at Portland State. While I worked with a diverse group of professors who assigned somewhat different duties to their assistants, each provided me with the opportunity to develop my teaching skills in a real-world environment. While there I worked directly with students of many different ethnic, educational, and cultural backgrounds, both in class and during one-on-one conferences. I have also helped high school students develop their writing and complex reasoning skills.

It is crucial that instructors not merely expect students to meet prescribed standards, but rather also provide them with the tools to do so. To this end, I work closely with students, demonstrating my own techniques for reading texts efficiently, applying critical thinking, and developing clear written and oral communication. I also believe that learning should take place in a collaborative environment in which instructors encourage free discussion and Socratic questioning.