Sage - I’ve been insistent that I would be a teacher from the time I understood what it meant to dream of a career. I certainly went through plenty of stages where I wanted to be something interesting; at six, I’d have told you “part time teacher, part time ice dancer!” I was obsessed with figure skating, and with the confidence of youth, thought that maybe I could teach it. As I grew up, ways of achieving that dream flitted in as an idea of a subject or a creature or maybe a professor, each one helping me decide my way forward; by the time I hit college, I was positive about what I wanted to do. I attended Florida Gulf Coast University from which I received a Bachelor’s of Arts in English with everything needed for the education minor except for the willingness to teach in a school district. The state of the U.S. education system has removed most true instruction from the primary and secondary school classroom, and for me, that is the best part about teaching. I explored other alternatives and became a teacher and tutor in alternative education situations while pursuing my Master’s of Arts in English and Creative Writing - Fiction with Southern New Hampshire University. I continued my education with the intent to learn how to help others learn, and when I graduated with my MA, I knew that my career and vocations finally aligned. I have spent the last fifteen years honing my abilities, staying up to date with all the changes and fluctuations of education, English, and writing instruction. I learned how to navigate testing systems and help students learn how to apply classroom knowledge to testing format. I am also very proud of my years working with students on their college applications, specifically the myriad of essays required, and have proudly watched students go off to schools like University of Chicago, Cornell, University of North Carolina, University of Southern California, MIT, and NYU, among many others. After nearly a decade in a deeply fulfilling role working with students on everything from foundation grammar rules to courses like AP English Literature, all the way to assisting a student’s parent prepare for a fluency exam for teacher certification, it’s time to offer a wider range of what I’ve learned and share as much as I can with as many people as possible.