I attended St. Olaf College fully focused on pursuing a major in Music Education, but after volunteering to tutor floundering students in the Northfield Public Schools during my freshman year, I discovered that I had a gift for connecting with struggling students one-on-one or in small group settings.  There was such a need for this kind of work, and I felt it was my calling, so I took a deep breath and changed my major to Alternative Education.

I have spent the past 25 years as a teacher and tutor, with my focus on helping to reach students who are falling through the cracks of the educational systems. I have taught ESL and GED classes for adults, and was a high school English teacher in a special education classroom.  I tutored K-12 students at a tutoring company, where half of my clients were students needing help in Algebra 1.  I also tutored writing, K-8 math, study skills, reading, spelling, and Spanish.  I have been an ESL tutor for both children and adults hailing from many different countries.  I have also taught trombone lessons, and led a youth trombone choir.  In addition, I have spent 13 years teaching my own homeschooled children all of the K-12 academic subjects with a focus on college preparation in high school.

I am a creative and flexible tutor.  I really enjoy working with students one-one-one, because I can cater my teaching methods to each individual student, focusing on what they want from tutoring, what they need help with, and how they learn most effectively.  I listen to what students tell me, and I observe my students and adjust my tutoring methods in order to help students meet their goals in the most efficient way.  I acknowledge what students are doing RIGHT, and build on that knowledge.  My students love my engaging teaching style and the way I connect with them and guide them through the learning process.