Micah
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo - Bachelors, English
Graduate Degree: Boston College - Masters, English/ Literature
Reading, writing
Adult Literacy
American Literature
College Application Essays
College English
College Level American Literature
Composition
Elementary School Reading
Elementary School Writing
High School English
High School Level American Literature
High School Writing
Middle School Reading
Middle School Reading Comprehension
Middle School Writing
Other
What is your teaching philosophy?
Picture the following scenario: extended family members come over to visit their relatives, and, surprisingly, one little girl is missing. She has not left the house, so she must be there ... somewhere. After careful searching for nearly an hour, the girl is found -- reading in a dark closet with only a flashlight. This little girl was me. My teaching philosophy is based on this love of literature -- this love of words. My love of literature and writing was fostered at an early age. This love is my greatest asset both in and out of the classroom. With true passion, an idealistic outlook, and learned skill, one can teach others to love to read and write as I have always loved to read and write. My philosophy is based on these three principles. The passion and the ideals were instilled in me well before I started hiding in closets to read. The skills have been acquired through years of my own reading and writing. I also have two degrees devoted to the study of reading and writing. When one learns to appreciate reading and writing -- dare I say love reading and writing, -- one gains two powerful weapons that help in defining the leaders from the followers in life. The best way one can teach others to appreciate reading, writing, and analysis skills is to revel in the beauty of those skills, put reading and writing on a pedestal, and shine a spotlight on that pedestal. In the last thirteen years of my college teaching career, I have done just this. Every day I walk into the classroom, I carry this passion. I make it my personal goal to find new, inventive ways of teaching standard essays and writing assignments in order to captivate my students' attention and get them to understand what defines successful writing. Since I began working at the University of Advancing Technology, the use of technology and outside the box methodology have become a key part of my creation/ instructional process. Furthermore, I have created many grammar and essay structure tests to assess student knowledge. The combination of all these techniques allows me to be innovative in my instruction but confident in the quality of the content I have created. This focus on incorporating innovation into the classroom has helped me reach a diverse group of college students. I make a promise to my students: I will make every day in class different from the previous day (barring a few activities that must be repeated). In this way, I am able to keep my students' attention and provide an atmosphere that creates excitement and passion around reading and writing. Until the day I retire from teaching, I will hold true to this promise and provide both myself and my students with the passion and excitement I knew as that young girl hiding in the closet with a flashlight.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I would get to know the student briefly, and I would begin the process of tutoring.