Katie May L.
Private tutor in Shady Side, MD
Education
I’m an educator and biologist with a Ph.D. in Marine Science, or, as I tell my students, I’m a fish doctor who likes to teach. I earned my doctorate at the College of William and Mary. I also earned a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a B.S. in Biology from Long island University. I won a teaching fellowship from the National Science Foundation while in graduate school, which afforded me a year of training and experience teaching middle and high school life sciences. I continued my career in education as an educator at the Herring Gut Learning Center, a Maine non-profit education organization. There, I independently developed and taught a science curriculum for alternative education high school students. I also developed and taught lesson plans for middle school students, integrating lab, classroom, and deskwork to teach them science, basic math and English, and public speaking. I’ve also taught college ecology, edited college papers and graduate-level manuscripts, and tutored college-level Spanish.
Experience
I’ve always enjoyed teaching others- I started by helping other kids with their math and science homework in grade school, then volunteered as a teaching assistant in high school, and moved on to editing papers and tutoring Spanish in college. Although I studied biology in college, I took several journalism courses, and even considered a career as a writer before choosing to further my education in the sciences. I spent one summer as a paleontology intern digging up dinosaurs with the Black Hills Institute in Hill City, South Dakota. I spent a semester sailing a tall ship from Boston to Puerto Rico- not just taking courses, but learning to sail and becoming a student crew member. I also studied moths in Peru and marine biology in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Finally, I worked at the campus aquarium, teaching kids from preschool through high school about sailing and marine life. You might think I majored in adventure, but my Bachelor’s degree is actually in Biology; I earned it in four years with faculty honors. I moved on to Columbia University to earn my M.A. in Conservation Biology, which required intensive coursework and a thesis project. I conducted my thesis research on sustainability in the seafood industry and worked as a seafood sustainability research intern for the Blue Ocean institute. I spent one month during my Master’s studies doing conservation work in Costa Rica- I removed invasive bamboo and built barriers to prevent erosion in national parks. After earning my M.A. I went on to work as a grantwriter for the nonprofit organization Rainforest Alliance. Working as a professional writer gave me the necessary skills to edit papers and thesis documents for my fellow students when I returned to graduate school to earn my Ph.D. I focused my Ph.D. studies around fish genetics. I sequenced full mitochondrial genomes- DNA- of 17 species and used the DNA sequences to study the evolutionary relationships among sturgeon species. I also researched their habitats, past and present, to identify prehistoric migration patterns. I studied sturgeon ontogenetic development- the way their bones form- from the time they hatch until they reach adulthood. I took courses and did research on biodiversity in the Chesapeake Bay, carbon emissions reductions, and physics and mathematics. It was during these studies that I won a teaching fellowship from the National Science Foundation. During this fellowship, I received a year of training in teaching techniques and spent a year teaching science in public middle schools. Following this, I spent a year working in fisheries management for the Virginia state government, then realized I missed teaching. When I decided I needed to go back to teaching, I knew I did not want to be a regular classroom teacher. Instead, I got a job as a Marine Science Educator at a unique non-profit education center in Maine. There, I independently developed and taught a science curriculum for alternative education high school students. I also developed and taught lessons for middle school students, integrating lab, classroom, and desk work to teach them science, math, English, and public speaking. I spent time working with public school teachers to develop and deliver 6-lesson units on marine science, aquaculture, seaweed, and lobsters for students from kindergarten through sixth grade. Finally, I ran marine science summer camp sessions for first through seventh graders, teaching marine science through research projects, art, and outdoor exploration. I believe that each person learns differently, and that in order to teach even the most reluctant student all one needs to do is find and address that student's unique learning personality. I have worked with students individually and in groups to help them realize how they learn best and ensure that they complete the coursework they are given with a thorough understanding of the topics at hand. It isn’t enough to just get the work done- they need to be invested in it. I have spent the last year learning how to reach students and build in them a desire to learn. My background has provided me unique skills that allow me to teach science, math, and grammar through paper-based lessons, tabletop lab activities, and discussion in an effective and engaging way. I look forward to working with you and your child to helping them get the most they can out of their educational experience.
Availability
Any day at any time
Can Meet
Up to 20 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
In my spare time I enjoy cooking, running, doing puzzles, and hanging out with my cat.
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