David

Certified Tutor

I am a career English teacher and former department chair residing in the Baltimore area. With nearly twenty years classroom experience, I have taught a diversity students, in both residential and day-school contexts, at schools on both the east and west coastsincluding Suffield Academy in Connecticut, Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, Windward School in Los Angeles, and Collegiate School in Richmond, VA.

I have designed and implemented a variety of curricula, across grade levels eight through twelve, from A.P. English Literature to core classes for 8th-graders. My experience encompasses British and American literature, the western dramatic tradition, Shakespeare, and substantial instruction in critical reading and writing. Additionally, I have designed and implemented elective courses in creative writing, modern poetry, Anglo-Irish literature, and Creative Non-Fiction. Highlights of my recent work include three summers teaching literature and writing for Access Exeter, an intensive middle-school program for international students; and four weeks in Mumbai, India teaching TOEFL preparation and critical reading and writing to a cadre of girls from the School of Leadership, Afghanistanthe sole boarding school in Kabul.

I am a 2003 graduate of the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, where I earned an M.A.. I also hold a B.A. in English, Magna Cum Laude, from Washington and Lee University, where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.

My professional philosophy is rooted in my experiences working in small, progressive independent schoolsboth rural and urban. I value a tutoring environment that is intellectually rigorous and which encourages scholarship, creativity, and independent thinking. I am also devoted to a student-centered approach, where the distance traveled by each individual is a central indicator of the success of both student and teacher. I am committed to a learning environment where diverse learning styles are validated and nurtured.