I began my undergraduate degree in anthropology before moving over to studio art. I completed my BFA with an emphasis in Drawing at Texas State University (go Bobcats!) and then completed my MFA in Studio at the University of New Mexico (go Lobos!). Along that very strange path I took more than my share of art history courses, graduate courses in architecture, geography, and biology. I served as interim Chair of Student Advocacy in the Graduate and Professional Student Association, which allowed me to learn about the inner workings of the college experience and then use this experience to help other graduate students navigate the landscape of higher education.
As for why I'm tutoring, it's a simple answer: I like teaching. I'm good at it. And it's ok to tell yourself you are good at something. In fact, that's a lot of what my teaching philosophy boils down to: Helping the student realize their potential, regardless of the difficulties they might be experiencing in a particular subject.
Take drawing, for example. Most people, when I tell them I am a Drawer, say that they can't draw anything but a stick figure. But this simply isn't true. In fact, I was one of those people at one time. It took the right person (actually, it took more than one person) to show me WHY I couldn't draw. Once I moved past this block, I realized that I was pretty awesome at it. And years later I finished my MFA in Studio...a goal that a decade earlier seemed like something I wasn't capable of doing.
Being a good teacher is about accepting the limitations people believe they have, and then gradually showing the student that their limitations are a product of HOW we teach... and most certainly NOT a product of their intelligence.
My job, my goal, is to show my students that they are capable of learning any subject, regardless of their fears or their background.