"I am a native of Wisconsin, but I have spent much of my life abroad since I got my BA in French and Spanish Literature from the University of Chicago. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in French-speaking Cameroon, and I did my MBA at HEC, outside Paris. After HEC I was an exchange student at a business school in Mexico City and ended up getting a job working for a Mexican company and staying for six years. Since then, I have traveled extensively in Latin America and have stayed in touch with French, Portuguese, and Spanish speaking friends around the world.

I learned Portuguese for fun while I was in France. This new language gained me some good friends and proved very useful when I did business in Brazil. I still like to learn new languages as a hobby and am very excited to compare the patterns of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary across languages. I have informally tutored friends and family in French and Spanish for much of my life.

I am an outstanding language tutor because I love languages. There's always a new way of saying something to discover or a cool new expression. Above all, the connections you can make by speaking to someone in their own language are so much richer and stronger. I firmly believe that you need to shed your embarrassment when learning a language: you have to be willing to sound like an idiot in order to progress. Most people will appreciate the effort you are making and will gently guide you along.

I love history and am very widely read in the subject. There is always more to learn, as new perspectives get incorporated into our understanding of the past and how it shapes the present. It's not just about memorizing dates or names of famous dead people. It's about understanding how and why things happened how they still affect us today.

If you need assistance with your language or history classes or want to brush up your French, Spanish or Portuguese skills, I am here to help. I am available online or in person in the Brookline area." less...