Personal Description:

Hi! I'm Andrew , a writer and tutor living in Medicine Hat, Alberta. I'm excited to share my passion for words, stories, and music!

I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in Media and Communication Studies, at the University of the Fraser Valley. I worked as a tutor and disability support worker for seven years before pursuing my career in writing and education.

I love most subjects categorized under the term "Humanities," from literature and philosophy to history, law, and politics. I am also an avid music-lover with a wide range of experience in learning, performing, and teaching classical, jazz, and popular music.

Tutoring Experience:

Throughout my post-secondary schooling, I tutored a wide variety of clients, from two middle-school-aged brothers in Abbotsford, BC, to a number of adults with learning and mental disabilities in Medicine Hat. I've supported students and peers to improve their English language skills in secondary, college-level, and professional environments.

Tutoring Approach:

My approach to tutoring changes based on each student. I tend to use my first session or two to listen to the student, get to know them, and assess their skill level. This might include looking at current projects and papers, working through a short exercise or two, and/or talking about their passions, interests, likes, and dislikes. For English students, we'll talk about stories in all forms - books, TV, movies, comics, etc. Everyone loves stories and all stories are important. I love tapping into students' own interests and connecting them to the aspects of the subject they might find more difficult.

From there, I focus on collaborating with the student to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) so we can track our progress together. No matter what the situation, I see each student and myself as a team, working together toward a common purpose. It's important to me that every success is acknowledged, big and small, and that I pass my excitement for the subject matter onto each person I tutor.