I’m a wife, mom, teacher, and tutor. I have a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Development, minor in Psychology, and a multiple subject teaching credential with an emphasis in Math. I’ve been working with kids and families for years.
Several principles I learned studying psychology drive my approach to tutoring and parenting. One is building relationships; without trust, little can be accomplished. Another is that strengths must be emphasized- I believe in the ‘catch them being good’ approach to everything, and it works wonders.
I was a late bloomer in formal education, and before I went to college I owned a paint-your-own pottery store. It was here where I spent 12 years observing the family dynamics that would shape and inspire my interest in education and psychology. As a fly on the wall watching parents interact with their children and negotiate a task for a substantial amount of time, I was in a unique position to learn what makes some outcomes more positive than others. I’m still learning!
I’ve been working as a private tutor with high school students for 5 years, and I taught middle school as part of my teaching credential. Primarily, though, I am a homemaker for my husband Scott, stepdaughter Emery (16 yrs.), and sons Casen (2.5 yrs.) and Dylan (7 months).
I have a handful of cherished mom friends who I see regularly (you know who you are!) and can bounce ideas off of about our toddlers. We discuss the latest topics on early child development and swap stories about our kids.
It is often in the middle of my tutoring that I find myself applying those same topics to older kids: lead by example, LISTEN, scaffold,and put the student in the driver’s seat of learning, etc., and that’s why I wanted to start this blog! I want to swap stories with those of you who work with tweens and teens about parenting and mentoring.
