About
Hello everyone! I am an experienced Speech, Debate and History tutor looking to help people build their knowledge and ability! I am a former college communication and history instructor, and an experi... enced high school and college Director of Forensics, now working in state government. I have coached students to outrounds at AFA, NFA and Pi Kappa Delta as a college coach in numerous competition formats. I have also worked as a high school extemp coach, with students winning state titles in multiple states and advancing to deep outrounds at NIETOC and NSDA. Finally, I write weekly and tournament question packets for coaches, including for tournaments like the MASQ Series and NIETOC.
I want to help build competitors and students up, using their unique skillsets, into students who can advocate for themselves and their viewpoints. In speech and Debate, I focus on fundamentals first, then delivery. By allowing students to feel comfortable in the basics, it makes it much easier to work on the more individualized aspects like delivery. I assign homework and provide materials for sessions, including limited prep questions and notes on practice performances. I treat every session like a performance round, because that is the standard a competitor will be asked to perform at.
In regards to my history students, I will work to use history as a narrative to better understand its role in our lives. The subject is not a rote recitation of facts, but a tapestry that has its threads in an infinite number of areas that drive our lives. My approach to this topic will be to use the existing knowledge base of a student to its maximum effect. I also enjoy the use of primary sources in understanding the path of history, without the historiographical baggage that can sometimes be present.
I encourage any prospective student to ask questions before, during, and after their tutor search process. I look forward to working with you!read more
Experience
Director of Forensics
Concordia University Nebraska
Aug 2015 - May 2018
Served as administrative and operational head of a collegiate speech and debate team. General duties... in position included, but were not limited to:
-Coaching duties, including individual and team sessions for a team of over 20 competitors, in conjunction with an Assistant Director (who I also supervised and completed internal evaluations for on an annual basis).
-Managed budget and administrative responsibilities for the team, including trip logistics and national qualification documentation.
-Accompanied the team to approx. 16-18 tournaments per academic year as a judge and traveling coach.
-Organized and executed the Speech and Debate team’s recruiting strategy, including liaison with prospective students and parents. Also built and instructed admission department procedure in proper recruitment methods to recruit nationally for speech recruits.
-Undertook outreach and revenue generation initiatives, including hosting 2 collegiate and 2 high school tournaments per year, as well as summer camp and academic year workshops.
-Taught for the English, Communication and Theatre Arts Department, as needed. This included 100-level Intro to Communication courses on a semester basis.read more
Assistant Director of Debate and Speech
Marquette University
Aug 2012 - Jul 2015
Served as administrative and operational head of a collegiate speech and debate team. General duties... in position included, but were not limited to:
-Coaching duties, including individual and team sessions for a team of 12-15 competitors, in conjunction with a Director (who provided faculty support and completed internal evaluations for on an annual basis).
-Managed budget and administrative responsibilities for the team, including trip logistics and national qualification documentation.
-Accompanied the team to approx. 10 tournaments per academic year as a judge and traveling coach.
-Organized and executed the Speech and Debate team’s recruiting strategy, including liaison with prospective students and parents. Also built and instructed academic department procedure in proper recruitment methods to recruit regionally for recruits.
-Undertook outreach and revenue generation initiatives, including hosting several outreach events and competetive tournaments per year, as well as summer camp/workshops for the Milwaukee Urban Debate League.
-Taught for the Diedrich College of Communication, as needed. This included 200-level Argumentation and Debate courses on a semester basis.read more
