“Teaching is a creative profession.
Teaching, properly conceived, is not a delivery system.”
– Sir Ken Robinson
Melanie has always had a passion for art. It was her favorite subject in school and something she has always held close to her heart. Melanie studied art in college and ultimately decided that she wanted to share her passion with others. She graduated from Kent State University with a degree in Art Education and became certified to teach visual arts for K-12 students.
Over the years, Melanie has taught in several schools – both as an art instructor and a substitute teacher. In addition to working as a teacher, Melanie spent thirty years working in the art field for printing companies. She eventually joined North Coast Education Services’ team of tutors in 2008 and has been calling our company home ever since.
When I asked Melanie why she wanted to become a tutor, she replied, “I like the one-on-one contact with the kids.” Her creativity is evident throughout her teaching process. “I can tailor lessons and learning to their interests. I also like to tease my students…it helps to put them at ease.”
One of Melanie’s favorite North Coast memories involved one of her high school reading students – a sixteen-year-old, who was struggling with decoding words:
“He threw his pencil down and said, ‘This is silly.’ I said, ‘Okay, it’s silly,’ and waited for him to continue. He did and began to read easily. …I put twenty-five long words in front of him and he pronounced all but two. I told him that he was pronouncing college level words. Then I asked, ‘Is it silly now?’ He smiled sheepishly…to agree that it was working.”
Melanie tutors students of all ages in a wide variety of subjects – including reading, comprehension, math, fine art, photography, history, and life skills. At this time, she is working with multiple students and just finished helping out on a North Coast project in a Cleveland-area public school.
“I really have fun getting to know the kids and interacting with them,” said Melanie. “I love seeing the ‘light’ go on when they ‘get it’!”
When Melanie is not tutoring, she enjoys spending time at home with her “little girl” – a yellow tabby cat. As an artist, it’s not surprising that she enjoys crafts and looking at pictures. Melanie also likes to window shop, surf the net, and catch up on her reading.
Not only does Melanie have a passion for art, she also has a passion for education. “It’s a value for kids to have one-on-one tutoring,” she stated. “It gives them confidence, clarifies issues, and helps to bring out the best in their skills. So let’s keep tutoring!”
We couldn’t agree more!
