I am a former English teacher in New York City and Baltimore City public schools. Also, more recently, I have served as an adjunct instructor of English at the College of Southern Maryland, education program specialist at headquarters at the U.S. Department of Education, and as a school principal in DC Public Schools and Baltimore City Public Schools.

In my professional career, my performance ratings reflected outstanding writing skills. I am a firm believer that while it is perfectly acceptable to speak informal English in personal settings, one must have the ability to choose between formal and informal English -- on and off the job. While not everyone will be an English major, a strong command of the English language is essential in clearly communicating ideas and thoughts in speaking and writing. In whatever field a person embarks whether it is science, math, technology, or engineering, he/she will always be evaluated by their command of the English language and their success will depend on it. It takes a lifetime of practice to become adept at speaking or writing. I find that many writers are unaware as to when, where, or why to use commas. Moreover, in writing narratives, I find that many do not consider the importance of connotations versus denotations. It reminds me of comparing two artists. For example, one artist can paint a fruit basket that makes the picture seem very real, while another artist's painting does not present the same appeal to the senses. It's the same way with words. Vivid verbs and adjectives help convey real-life images to the senses. Finally, it helps to arrange paragraphs in such a manner as to move from the general to the specific. This format helps the writer to stay on task and include all relevant information in the paragraph. There are many more techniques that are peculiar to English grammar and writing that I will be happy to share with you in my tutoring sessions to help you achieve your goal of becoming a strong, confident writer.