Sophia Sears

Once upon a time in the fifth grade, a little girl from the California’s Bay Area told her mother and the school principal—in an obstinate voice of mulish finality—that she’d learned everything she needed to know, and she no longer needed to come to school. Such whimsy was appropriately warranted for a child who, already at that young age, seemed to despise learning and teaching to its very core.

That little girl was me. I only later came to realize the very simple reason for my conviction—I had already decided that I didn’t enjoy learning, nor did I want to understand the benefits of knowledge.

This all changed for me when my eyes were gently pried opened by the wonder and excellence of a few memorable teachers, peer mentors, and tutors who listened, cared, and genuinely wanted to help, transforming me from the disheartened child I was to the avid scholar I consider myself today. These mentors and teachers refused to let me give up and instead introduced me to the realm of imaginative thought, deeply-connective literature, and one-on-one discussions where my words actually had merit against their accredited opinion.

I happily graduated with honors and distinction from Sonoma State University with a B.A. in English and all of the completed prerequisites for single-subject teaching. I had accumulated over eighty hours of hands-on student teaching at several diverse, low-income, and minority-based middle and high schools where I had observed as well as organized and conceptualized lesson plans alongside the teachers. During my sophomore year, I began an enjoyable and rewarding work experience as a tutor at the university’s Writing Center where, for the next three years, I tutored fellow students and graduate students in essay writing, reading and textbook comprehension, and test-preparation for the WEPT (the CA college writing exit exam). Every summer, I worked and have continued to work as a counselor at a Broadway musical theatre camp for elementary and middle schoolers where a positive attitude, bubbly energy, and encouraging spirit are mandatory when working with eighty kids in rehearsal, arts and crafts projects, and drama games.

My own teaching philosophy stems from my personal, and colorful, journey as a student through California’s education system—experiencing both private and public teaching methods, personal versus conservative teaching styles, and the standardizing versus individualizing of a classroom for the student. It is my core teaching belief that learning needs to be treasured and enjoyed as a natural and imaginative process. There is always more to learn, and it is life’s adventure to learn them!

I aspire to be a novelist and to cast wonderment and joy to my readers. Words to me are like magic spells, arranged in intricate puzzles and symbols to derive meaning and emotion and magic! I try to bring the same love of learning and writing and imagination to my tutoring sessions as a perpetual student of life. My other passions include singing, the Victorian Era, reading, and swimming in the ocean.