About Me

As a private academic tutor, I bring years of experience and expertise teaching in a diverse range of fields within the humanities and social sciences. I am a patient instructor with particular strengths in essay writing and overcoming writer’s block.
By ensuring that work is completed according to schedule, I have demonstrated leadership skills. I am adept at working independently to organize background material and lesson plans.
I have a record of successfully engaging with students and their families, in order to ensure a positive learning experience. I have taught students of various ages, ranging from 5 to 55 years old, with many students speaking English as a Second Language.
Most of my students improve their academic results considerably as a result of our work together.
Skills
- Expertise in humanities and social science topics
- Very strong writing, proofreading, and editing skills
- Effective use of interpersonal skills with students and their families
- Demonstrated leadership skills to ensure work completion according to schedule
- Independent organization of background material and lesson plans
- Quick study of new topics
Work Environment
- Worked at students’ homes, in person on the University of Toronto campus, and virtually via Zoom
- Mostly worked with students in the Greater Toronto Area, and virtually with students at Peking University (China) and in America
Teaching Approach
When possible, I endeavor to read texts alongside students to engage meaningfully in coursework discussions. When contacted, I typically begin immediately to research and study the topic in order to speak to the student with some measure of equality. My past topics include Shakespeare plays, American politics, Chinese educational policy, the British monarchy, the Gulag system under Joseph Stalin, and many more. Please see a partial list of past topics here.
Services
- One-on-one tutoring Sessions
- Teaching how to write an essay
- Test preparation
- Homework assistance
- Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Interview preparation
- Editing academic texts for publication
- Evaluating medical school and graduate school applications
Education
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in Art History at the Department of Fine Art, University of Toronto (1995-1997)
- Completed additional graduate-level courses in Comparative Literature (1997-1998)
- German Language Course at Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany (July-August 1995)
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a double major in English Literature and Art History at Trinity College, University of Toronto (1990-1995)
- Completed 30 courses in a 20-course degree program
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (1989-1990)
- Higher level subjects: English, History, French; lower level subjects: Math Studies; Latin; Biology
- High School Diploma from Elmwood School, a private girls school in Ottawa, Ontario (1985-1990)