Broadview, Lake City, & Greenwood Tutors
Wendy
As a long time writer, reader, and educator, I am so excited to help students in my community discover their voices through reading, writing, and communication skills. I received my BA in English/American Literature and Creative Writing from Middlebury College in Vermont. Through my major, I specialized in local literary journalism and personal narrative essays. I worked as a writing tutor in college, and after graduation I worked as a college access coach, with a focus on the admissions essay process and ACT prep.
My work in public schools for the next several years led me to pursue my Master of Social Work at the University of Washington, where I graduated with my MSW and LSWAIC in 2023. I have worked with students K-12, supporting social-emotional skills and building confidence in and outside of the classroom. I love getting to know my students' stories and helping youth express themselves through writing and public speaking.
In my free time, I love running and rollerblading around Green Lake, writing and listening to music, riding my bike, and eating chocolate chip cookies in front of the TV show Survivor. I love talking about recent favorite books and movies, playing cards, and sharing a good laugh with friends.
Catherine
I am a lifelong bookworm. As a child, I loved exploring the library and discovering new worlds and perspectives. These books inspired me to experiment with my own writing and developed empathy in me and a hunger to learn more. I hope to pass that on to my students.
I have always loved working with children. While obtaining my BA, I spent a year student-teaching in a third-grade classroom. During that time I discovered a passion for education and literacy.
After my degree I spent five years as an early childhood educator. I built trusting relationships with children and worked to set foundations for early literacy skills. My favorite teaching tool is quality children’s literature. I love sitting down to explore a beautiful book with children and connecting it to our learning. I believe in tapping into children’s innate creativity and curiosity so that they become active learners. Once writing becomes a medium for self-expression and imagination, the possibilities are endless!
Nothing brings me more joy in life than learning and discovery, and I approach teaching as a fellow learner. My goal is to help each student discover a lifelong love for reading and writing that goes beyond academics and continues to develop and enrich their inner lives.
Toni
Although I recently retired from teaching English full-time at the middle and high school levels, my love for teaching remains. At the high school level, I taught courses ranging from READ 180, a course for students struggling with reading, to AP literature. I have also taught 3rd grade, worked as a college essay tutor, and privately tutored a wide range of skills within the realm of language arts. I continue to dabble in diagramming sentences (great for ensuring grammatical correctness), coach public speaking, and use alternate voices to bring life to oral reading.
Teaching in and of itself means little if it does not result in authentic and lasting learning. I believe that strong instruction begins with meeting a student where he or she is academically. From there, teaching is 1-on-1 coaching, with the learner’s responses determining what comes next. Nothing is set in stone, and both teaching and learning are fluid processes. My instruction is based on “moving” with the student, using strong, solid techniques that give students something to hold onto and to build on.
I continue to receive letters from former students, thanking me for foregoing generic rubrics and checklists, focusing first on models, writing blueprints, and practical skills/techniques that work- period. Most of all, however, those students are thanking me for being part of a very heartfelt connection. Their notes and letters stay with me, reminding me of why I teach.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Master’s degree from Washington State University in English education. Years later, I passed my National Board certification in young adult literature. Because my teaching certificate also allows me to teach history, I do so once a week at a private school in Seattle.
Zoe
As a young writer, I was fortunate to have adults who demonstrated to me that my ideas were valuable. Instilling that same knowledge in my students is central to my work as a tutor, coupled with practical understanding of literacy and curriculum development.
I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I tutored elementary students reading below grade level and worked as a Boys and Girls Club Literacy Intern. After a gap year spent in a first-grade classroom, I headed to Whitman College to study Theater and Creative Writing. At Whitman, I worked at as a writing center tutor as well as the Theater department's Writing Fellow. I also edited and wrote for the Whitman Wire's Feature section, for which I earned the Hosokawa Journalism Prize. Off campus, I volunteered as a reading tutor through EstudiAmigos, an organization that sought to combat learning loss at the onset of the pandemic, and led weekly writing groups with middle schoolers through Writers in the Schools.
I have worked joyfully with children, teens, and young adults for over a decade. With specific training and experience in supporting neurodivergent learners, I know that one size does not fit all! I am committed to respectful, individualized, and engaging instruction that celebrates each student's strengths and needs.
Outside of work, you'll find me working on a crossword puzzle, trying out a new recipe, or working on my own writing. I'm excited to join Write Seattle and create an affirming, stimulating, and grounded learning environment for my students!
