Roz

I studied English Literature and Social Psychology at Cambridge University. We had supervisions in small groups of up to five people, often two or three or 1:1, instead of large seminars with twenty or thirty people. We had lectures too but I loved the 1:1 tuition which encouraged me to be creative and engage.

It was very stimulating to have dedicated teacher time with some of the sharpest minds in the United Kingdom. I loved to be able to brainstorm ideas and I revel in the delights of English literature, particularly Shakespeare and poetry. I am an enthusiast and a creative wordsmith. I have a lifelong love of reading, especially fiction about different cultures like Asia and Africa. My favourite author is Khaled Hosseini who wrote the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I am an NCTJ qualified journalist and copywriter. I have been published in the Guardian and most often on the Brighton and Hove News website. I also write, direct and review plays in my spare time and I am hoping to direct a play that I have written about immigration at Brighton Fringe next year. It's about how inhumane the hostile environment is and how difficult it is to settle in the UK as an immigrant or refugee. I am a theatre critic which means I write reviews of plays for Brighton Source. You can read my articles on my blog. I broadcast on the radio.

Tutoring Experience

Writing is my life. I can teach students how to listen, speak, read and write. I teach English Literature and English Language GCSE. I enjoyed teaching the power and conflict anthology of war poetry and romantic poetry to a student last summer. I recorded a young man doing a presentation to complete his speaking and listening coursework and I submitted it to the examining board. I teach young people and adult learners and have an enhanced DBS available for inspection upon request.

I do not teach English as a foreign language (TEFL) and I do teach pronunciation to adults. I follow the Cambridge Pronunication in use syllabus. Adult learners do not need to sit GCSE and A-Level exams but we may read GCSE and A Level texts together, particularly AQA GCSE. I can also help students with degree level dissertations. I encourage every English language student to read literature written in English, not necessarily set in the UK.

Tutoring Approach

I believe that praise is the best way to build confidence and help students achieve their full potential. Poor self-esteem holds many students back and undermines their ability to respond to literature. I will start by finding out what interests my students about a piece of writing or a poem and then help them to develop a personal response from there.

I would like my students to get excited about literature, to enjoy our sessions and to find their own, unique voice. I will also use my journalism skills to help students simplify complex ideas and write sparkling essays in plain English to achieve high grades. I will inspire students with a love of literature as well as preparing them for their exams by working through past papers to make sure there are no surprises on examination day. I will also help with coursework.