Valerie Paul

I've been working with both primary and secondary school students from a wide variety of backgrounds for several years. In addition, I have a decade of experience editing both casual and professional writing including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and professional documents like resumes and grant applications.
Because I've worked with so many people with varied needs, I've found letting students have lots of input on how lessons go is important to them getting the most out of their time with me. I've had lessons where a student and I talk through an essay prompt and put together an outline. I've had lessons where I read over and give detailed feedback on creative writing pieces or university application materials. I've also had lessons where we spend a lot of time chatting, brainstorming stories and metaphors and helping the student discover what makes their writing voice unique.
I also understand that each student and each piece of writing needs different levels of attention at different times. A rough draft isn't going to benefit from grammar adjustments, and if the essay deadline is tonight I'm not going to suggest a complete overhaul of the structure. I've been through secondary and post-secondary schooling (and I'm in a postgraduate programme now) so I know what the workload is like. I'm very communicative with students about their availability to keep working on assignments outside of our time together and will prioritise suggestions I know they'll be able to put into action.
If any of this interests you or if you have any questions about how I operate, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm happy to answer questions and work with you to tailor your experience to your needs.