My passion in life has been foreign languages. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to complete my PhD program in French and World Languages at the University of Iowa as well as an M.A. in German Studies from the University of Montana. Throughout the numerous years
in academia, I was able to learn the skill of writing, which has become another passion of mine. As a PhD student and an English as a Second Language instructor, I have years of experience correcting and proofreading thousands of university level papers. This unique position allowed
me to see what aspects of writing make this craft easier to understand.

As a teacher, I use continual reiteration and practice examples, rather than a single, brief overview which often leaves students confused. This is especially true when students are not given enough controlled practice. I provide the students with enough controlled practice under my guidance to help them grasp the concepts, which keeps them from making mistakes that turn into bad habits. In addition, in an era of technological oversaturation, people can all too easily forget that active learning is the means through which new information is able to be stored in long-term memory.

Language acquisition is without doubt one of the most time-oriented tasks. Too often, the inability to comprehend a few key items produces unhealthy levels of frustration in students to the point that they abandon an entire university field of study. Whereas a mere daily review while walking them through examples can work wonders for acquisition of a new skill or even a language. I have been able to witness firsthand the incredible gains which students, in foreign languages and writing, are able to make in a relatively short time.