Catharina Evans
I offer a 15-year track record of improving student literacy outcomes and impacting students’ lives in secondary classrooms. Throughout my career, I designed and taught a variety of remedial, college preparatory, honors, and A.P. level courses. My experience includes adolescent and adult learners, those from high poverty districts, and those with language-based learning differences and ADHD. Currently, I leverage my fluency in academic standards and backward design to develop curriculum and coach other teachers. I specialize in utilizing a mastery-based learning model to enhance literacy skills. The quantifiable results of my success are clear. For the past nine years, I taught students with high learning difference rates and increased 100% of their reading and writing skills, with most achieving or approaching advanced levels. I raised my school’s A.P. English passing rate from 65% to 85% using my original curriculum approved by the College Board. I developed my school’s first inquiry-based program that resulted in improved student outcomes in research, synthesis, analysis, and writing.
Teaching Philosophy & Approach:
I believe rigor and fun aren't mutually exclusive, that humor can open pathways to students' hearts, and that laughter is essential to effective learning. I enjoy teaching and my students enjoy learning with me. I believe education should be based on a student's wonderings about the world and that teenagers are wiser than we think. I believe teaching reading, writing, and critical thinking is a civic duty that I am proud to fulfill. I believe every student's skills, no matter the student's background or ability level, deserves transparent and equitable assessment. I believe a teacher must disentangle behaviors from academic skill to avoid bias. I believe grading should be a collaborative process and a part of learning, not the end of it. I believe in teaching for mastery, which means if my students and I are successful, they will not just gain proficiency, but fluency, in key skills. They will be empowered to use those skills in creative, flexible, and challenging ways. I believe in naturally occurring neurodivergence and that as a teacher I must capitalize on my neurodivergent students' strengths. Students with dyslexia, A.D.H.D., and processing differences can be the best out-of-the-box thinkers.
Teaching Level:
- High School (9 - 12)
Teaching Type:
- Tutoring
- Learning Coach
- Full-Semester Classes
- Full-Year Classes
- Partial Year Classes (Mini Courses)