Fun Facts

I love to read, and I read everything from the classic books you read in school to comic books and graphic novels. My favorite way to spend free time is knitting, which I've been doing for over seven years. As such, I collect yarn, and rubber ducks. I grew up in Germany, and lived in South Korea for two years (I even visited North Korea for a couple days!)

About Me

I have attended school in Colorado since I was eleven; I went to the University of Northern Colorado for my undergraduate degree and am finishing up my masters at the University of Colorado Denver. My academic interests lie primarily in comic books as literature, much to my advisor's frustration. Although I have enjoyed teaching every age I've taught (and I've taught from first grade through adults twenty years older than me), I would like to eventually get a PhD in English Literature and become a professor.

Because my mother is an elementary education/colorado/denver">special education teacher and often gave me the chance to help out in her classroom, I've been working one-on-one with students since I was in middle school. I tutored after-school during high school at the elementary school next door, and that's when I really learned to appreciate what it feels like to help someone understand an idea that was difficult to them. I have since spent time teaching English overseas, often working directly with students and other teachers to improve their English skills (and learning a little of their language at the same time.) As a composition instructor at my university, I learned how to respond to students' writing and help them improve their ability to communicate and develop ideas.

Given my experience with both education/colorado/denver">special education students and students who spoke little to no English, I have found that learning requires interest (from both me and the student), an understanding of where the student is coming from, and patience. I got to see first-hand how knowing the videogame one student played meant he would make the effort to try to communicate with me, or knowing the words to show the difference between two phrases in their language allowed them to understand that difference in mine. The value of denver">tutoring is the possibility of finding that spark that will allow a student to "get" an idea they've had trouble with, and to teach the student to find that spark in other areas of their education.