As a teacher with 16 years of experience in public education, I'm excited to be your personal Varsity Tutor and to help you reach a new level of academic success. I believe that learning should be an exchange of rigorous challenges and meaningful successes that call upon your own personal experiences through questioning, discussion, and practice. In that same frame of mind, I earned my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Towson University and my master's degree in Education with a focus in STEM from PennWest California (previously CALU). I have taught grades 5 through 12 from both in-person and virtual classrooms, and have tutored students in grades 3 through 9. While I tutor in a broad range of subjects, I am most passionate about Mathematics. I love that mathematics has a strong foundation in structure but welcomes open-mindedness and creativity. It is very much an art in my mind. Because I have taught very diverse populations of students in a variety of settings, I have developed numerous flexible strategies to meet students at their level of need while helping them to raise to new levels of conceptual understanding. Conceptual understanding develops most efficiently and effectively when one perseveres through challenges, applies learning to real-world experiences, has access to hands-on learning opportunities, and collaborates with others who are equally committed. When these processes are experienced in a relaxed and safe environment, learning takes on a whole new meaning and students often thrive from the opportunities. I recognize that all students are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow mentally, emotionally, and socially. I facilitate learning by bringing an open mind, a positive attitude, consistency, diligence, high expectations, and a genuine love of learning into the classroom with the intention of eliciting the same from my students. Through the use of a wide variety of verbal and written strategies, as well as the use of multiple interactive applications, my students become both owners and promoters of their own learning with a strong appreciation for their own skills and abilities. Mathematics is embedded into every other subject area and I want my students to walk away from each learning session with an ever-growing love and appreciation for mathematics as well as a continued desire to be a life-long learner.
My spare time is spent enjoying life with my family and our dog, playing Soduko, kayaking, listening to music, coloring, and loving nature. Being a life-long learner myself, I also continue to take post-graduate courses that help me to better serve my students, their families, and the community.