I hold three college degrees which include my Master of Arts in French from Bowling Green State University in August 2005, my Bachelor of Arts in French and International Studies from Baldwin-Wallace College in May 2002, and my Associate of Arts in General Studies from Lorain County Community College in May 2000. I studied abroad at lAlliance-Franaise in Paris, France, in the fall of 2001, and earned the Certificat de Franais Oral 2 Degr II, as well as the Certificat dEtudes de Franais Pratique 2me Degr. While working towards my Masters degree, I spent an academic year abroad from 2003-2004 in Tours, France, studying at lUniversit Franois-Rabelais.

My work teaching French began as a graduate student on campus at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) where I taught a French Culture course for an entire academic year. I have also taught three years of Beginning French I & II at the collegiate level at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). During my time at both BGSU and Tri-C, I would involve certain teaching strategies in my classroom such as group work, presentations, class discussions, and viewing films that portrayed different French-speaking cultures. It was very important to me that my students would gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of other cultures.

I am quite traditional in my style of teaching and tutoring; there is great importance in memorizing, in making note cards, and studying on a regular basis--however, French is definitely not all work and no play! Learning French can be a lot of fun if a student lets the language in. Besides just teaching or tutoring the language, I really enjoy bringing the culture and my own personal experiences to the table. My former students have always liked hearing about my first-hand experiences while living abroad.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friend and family, taking care of my sweet dog Belle (who also has a good grasp of the French language!), journaling, crafting, and traveling. I've been to France a total of five times and have traveled to several other European countries as well.