Personal Description:

I am passionate about words, literature and language. My work with students has always given me sustenance as I delight in guiding my students in finding their voice -- through creative writing, essays and English tuition.

I am a passionate tutor who is also a writer and theatre artist, with a passion for education. I have been tutoring since 2007, and have taught in Canada and abroad. I also hold a Masters in Creative Writing and therefore hold a unique perspective when it comes to developing my student's writing skills.

I run a physical theatre company called Open Heart Surgery Theatre and write plays. Recently, This Is Why We Live toured to La MaMa in New York City. I have toured work to China, UK, Poland France and the USA. I am passionate about books, poetry, music and travel.

Tutoring Experience:

I have been teaching for over 9 years with an excellent track record at helping my students succeed in their English comprehension, writing and oral understanding. I know the British Schools system and the American and Canadian systems, and have helped many students in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai).

I am a theatre artist and Artist Educator who has been funded to bring my Playwriting and Theatre workshops into schools across Ontario. For the past four years I have worked with students age 6-18, developing their language and literacy skills through the creative arts. I also teach Devised Musical Theatre at Randolph Academy and Playwriting at the University of Toronto.

The companies I have worked for: First Tutors (Canada), Keystone Tutors (London,UK), Knowledge Seekers (UK), C'efficace (Paris, France), ICB Europe (Paris, France), Bridgepoint Tutors (Hong Kong)

Tutoring Approach:

I believe in a creative approach to learning. Engaging lessons, application and feedback is always key. My work with my pupils involve creating a program that suits my students needs, we map out goals and assess our goals every week. I am compassionate, encouraging, resourceful and enthusiastic about learning and always bring a professional approach to my work with students. I believe that each student possesses their own unique learning style, and therefore, my work is always developing a system of work and a bespoke lesson plan that enables each student to thrive at their subjects focusing on their individual learning styles.

''To any prospective parent; employing Coleen as a English tutor, is a must! Coleen is not just excellent in English, but knows how to engage children and translate the syllabus into edible parts! Coleen has never let us down and worked meticulously in the pre and post lesson preparation. Above all, Coleen has bought out the hidden author in our 12 year old son. We (including our son) never knew his creative writing could be so brilliant. It's given our son immense confidence and love of the subject, and he scored straight A's in his recent external exams, and got into his preferred school. We would 100% recommend Coleen, worth every penny! Thank you once again Coleen!'' (Parent of Year 8 student, London, UK)