I’m so excited to be part of your child's learning of grammar, literary analysis, and essay writing whether it be teaching foundational concepts to your developing learner or challenging your advanced learner!
Over the years, I’ve had the joy of teaching as a homeschool educator for our four children and other homeschool children as well as an English teacher to students from grades 6 through 12.
For more than a decade, I instructed high school English courses (World Literature, American Literature, and British Literature) at a Christian school, helping students strengthen their reading and writing skills for college, guiding them through the college essay process, preparing them for standardized tests, but more importantly, encouraging them to be critical thinkers who develop their own voice in their writing. Later, I stepped away from the traditional classroom to homeschool our four children, guiding them through their middle school years. During that time, I also taught middle school grammar and high school English courses in a once-a-week homeschool co-op.
As our children entered high school, I returned to the traditional classroom at a college preparatory school for fourteen years where I developed a comprehensive, cumulative grammar curriculum that coordinated with skills needed for writing a literary analysis essay in preparation for high school English courses, especially the AP Literature course. Working with students during these formative years has been deeply rewarding as I witnessed the amazing growth students can experience when given immediate feedback and guidance as they read and write.
Advanced Study and Specialization
To deepen my expertise, I pursued a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Literacy, along with a minor in Instructional Design and a Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia. My research and classroom experience have continually reinforced one truth: all students can succeed when they receive a well-designed curriculum that provides continual practice and builds concepts in a connected, meaningful way along with immediate, individualized feedback.
Bringing It All Together with Censova
With Censova, I’ve combined years of successful teaching experience with step-by-step instruction, unlimited of practice, and immediate feedback to help students build strong critical reading and analytical writing skills. Every student, including those with reading challenges or language differences, receives the personalized support they need. Using AI-powered tools, I can provide real-time differentiated guidance, encouragement, and practice that helps each student grow into a confident reader and writer.
In the traditional classroom, students in my class start off the year writing an essay about a summer reading novel to show what they know about writing a literary analysis essay. I file this essay away until the end of the year when they compare their last essay to this first one. Their giggles and laughter fill the classroom as they reflect back on what how they used to write. Their reflective comments reveal their confidence and sense of satisfaction about their growth over the year. This activity is always my favorite day, yet it is bitter-sweet because I know that it is the end of the year and that they will be moving on to a new teacher soon; yet years later, I often receive visits from them as juniors and seniors. These former students pop by to thank me for the skills they learned. I am always surprised that they still remember and use what they learned in middle school. They tell me of using their essay writing skills throughout high school, on AP literature exams, on college entrance exams, and on college admission essays. They mention scoring well on the college admissions test writing section, which is full of grammar they learned in middle school.
Nothing excites me more than helping students learn grammar, critical reading, and analytical writing skills that can be applied throughout life.
