"I currently hold a master's (Master of Arts in Teaching) degree from Western Oregon University, and a bachelor's degree in English from Ball State University. I am also a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). and hold a100-hour TESOL certification from OnTESOL.

I have been teaching in an American high school for 10 years now. During this time, I have taught a wide variety of courses, most of which were within the realm of English Language Arts. These include Language and Literature, Honors English, English Enrichment, and Creative Writing. In addition to these courses, I have also taught Physical Education and coached basketball (as a varsity head coach) and football (as a varsity assistant coach). I mention the coaching aspect because I believe it requires a special skill set, and a varied approach to teaching, in the same way classroom instruction does. In addition to my experience teaching in the United States, also have two years of experience tutoring and teaching English in an international school in Bangkok, Thailand. I believe that learning should be simultaneously fun and functional, and that in order to be engaged, students need to be interested in the material while also seeing its value.

I have taught students in grades 9-12 here in the United States, most of whom were aged 14-18. While teaching in Thailand, I worked in two different schools, one in which I taught seventh and either grade English (ages 13-15), and one in which I taught all levels of high school/secondary school English. In the latter instance, I also designed the curriculum for the secondary school's English Department. All of these experiences took place in a classroom setting. However, I also have experience tutoring adults in business English and English as a Second Language. This group of eight adults worked together in a bank setting, and wished to learn how to communicate more effectively in English within their business setting." less...