I have experience with college-level teaching, particularly composition courses and introductory literature courses, as well as creative writing courses. I also have taught at the high school level, both on-level courses and accelerated courses (i.e. gifted). I have a Ph.D. in English and I have a master's in education with prior certification (from Louisiana) in three areas: English, Social Studies, and Academically Gifted. I feel that my background in education, as well as my experiences teaching, have helped to train me to individualize student learning as often as possible. Furthermore, my background working with both high school and college-level students gives me a unique perspective in working with the community college student. That is, as a former public school teacher I understand the gaps that can happen in learning, what students are expected to learn, and what students actually learn. Understanding and identifying these gaps helps me with my expectations of composition students and to bridge the gap, so to speak.