About
My name is Margaret DeRosia. I started Open Minds Tutoring in 2010 after teaching in universities for 15 years. As a professor I specialized in teaching different academic subjects, including Literature, History, and Film and Media Studies. My courses always concentrated on the foundations for clear writing and communicating in English.
As a tutor and professor I have worked with thousands of students from all over the world. Many of my students have been adult English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. I have won teaching awards after being nominated by my students, such as the University Students Council Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Western Ontario.
University classrooms are increasingly large, impersonal and taught by graduate students or overworked part-time instructors more than professors. Teachers and professors are busier than ever, and often with many duties besides teaching. I love teaching. Private one-on-one coaching for people in schools, universities, and business is my specialty. Take a look at my resume below to see my credentials:
My Education
1994: BA with Highest Honors in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
2003: PhD in Interdisciplinary Humanities from the University of California at Santa Cruz (specialization in Literature in English and Film and Digital Media Studies)
Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Golden Key Honor Society in 1994
95th percentile SAT (Critical Reading/Writing portion) and GRE (Verbal portion)
My History as an Educator
1995-1998: PhD graduate student tutor and teaching assistant in Literature, Film, and other subjects in the Humanities at the University of California at Santa Cruz
1998-2004: Visiting lecturer (part-time) in the fields of Art History, Literature, and Film and Digital Media Studies at the University of California at Berkeley and Santa Cruz, as well as the California College of Arts and Crafts
2004-2010: Full-time professor at the University of Western Ontario in Film and Media Studies; also affiliate faculty in English, Film Studies, Media Studies, Modern Languages and Literature, and Visual Arts
2009-2010: Invited to serve as Undergraduate Chair of Film Studies at the University of Western Ontario, where I met with many Ontario high school students and their families for career and education planning
I know what elite universities in North America are looking for because I have worked at them and graduated from them. When you choose Open Minds, you won’t get an inexperienced tutor who is only a student or recent university graduate. You’ll get an educator with a PhD who works well with people of all different ages, cultural backgrounds, and English language skills. My goal is to help you stop struggling and gain competence, confidence, and excellence.