I tell my students that I believe in them, and that with hard work and my support, they can achieve and even exceed their goals. When students believe this as well, they are more motivated to work hard because they believe that hard work begets results. I think it is critical to build a relationship with my students, so that I can identify the methods and strategies that will be most effective for them. I begin by getting to know my students on a personal level, learning about their passions, what motivates them, what frustrates them, and which learning strategies have been successful for them. I believe I need to earn their trust by being on time, prepared, and consistent in my work as a tutor. By building this personal relationship, I have the information I need to customize our tutoring experiences in a way that will be most effective for my students. My professional experience is varied; I run a business bringing creative problem-solving to education. I am currently teaching a college course, I was a 7th grade English teacher, and I have worked as a marketing executive and design thinking consultant, and own my own business. I bring my rich experiences to sessions, which helps me identify creative ways of delivering and explaining material. Perhaps most importantly, I truly love to learn. I believe that learning can and should be a joyful experience, and that when students enjoy learning - even productive struggle - they succeed. I bring relentless optimism, positive energy, and humor to my sessions.

Yoga, hiking, reading fiction, spoken word poetry, jazz music, travel