I’m an educator.

overview

I did not set out to pursue teaching as a career. I arrived in the world of writing instruction because my own instructors and other writers encouraged me to explore there after noticing that I have an editorial “eagle eye” and I like talking about writing and about ideas. It has been a fruitful exploration: in tutor and instructor roles I’ve designed and delivered a writing curriculum, co-led workshops with colleagues and adapted them for hybrid instruction, expanded academic support programming and materials, and tracked student progress through quantitative and qualitative records.

I have worked with hundreds of low-income, first-generation undergraduate and graduate students belonging to a range of nationalities, ethnicities, races, language fluencies, ages, abilities, gender identities, religions, and educational aspirations in one-on-one and small group settings. Faculty members credit me with exposing their students to constructive writing criticism and fostering positive associations with tutoring. I believe my instructional successes result from listening to the students and continually adapting my practices.

teaching philosophy

I believe all students should be able to succeed academically at whatever benchmark is meaningful to them. I believe it is my role to provide opportunities and anticipate obstacles for them to practice and master creative, analytical, rhetorical, and communication skills in real-world, low-stakes settings.

I want to support writers in ways I could not always access as a student myself, an interdisciplinary “outsider” involved in “too many” subjects. I’ve witnessed how a very narrow vocational focus limits the potential for comprehensive higher education; even if they are employed, individuals who cannot analyze or imagine beyond certain constraints are not truly empowered. I believe the strong vision and voice necessary for sound citizenry can emerge from feedback among reading, writing, speaking, and listening—teaching and learning that employ these acts to create and clarify meaning serve us all.

professional engagement

Publications

“I cannot find words: A Case Study to Illustrate the Intersection of Writing Support, Scholarship, and Academic Socialization.” Praxis: A Writing Center Journal. Special issue, eds. Michele Eodice and Shannon Madden. 14.1 (2016).

“Blurring my boundaries: insights from tutoring a student with visual impairments.” Tutor’s Column. Writing Lab Newsletter 39.5-6 (2015).

Presentations

“Explain Yourself: Disadvantage Statements as Genre that Challenges Students.” University of California Writing Programs Conference. Merced, CA. 2018.

“Exploring Combinations of Text and Image in Tutor Feedback.” Pacific Northwest Writing Centers Association conference. Vancouver, WA. 2014.

Curriculum

“Personal Writing for Professional Purposes.” Office of Student and Resident Diversity, School of Medicine, UC Davis. 2018-2020.