Don Martin

English prose teacher

Don Martin | English prose teacher

Obviously a geezer, I learned English back in the day when people could actually flunk out of schools of whatever level. I hold the PhD in 18th century British literature and taught college courses for 17 years until sacked for not following orders to pass everybody because the school needed the money. I earned my living as a freelance writer/editor for a decade before getting an editorship with a peer-reviewed journal and then my present job as a writer/editor (with a fancier title) with the VA.

A widower in an empty nest since 2007, my evenings are mostly free.


Looking for: paying students
Offering: private lessons
Aimed at: Intermediate and Advanced.
Ages: 16 +
Rates: $75/hr
Online teaching offered

Educational history

PhD, 18th century British literature

Dates: 
September 1970 - June 1974
Institution: 
Kent State University, Kent, OH
As I teaching fellow, I designed and implemented an innovative honors freshman English course and helped establish the writing clinic in which any student could get free one-on-one help.

MA, English

Dates: 
September 1963 - January 1965
Institution: 
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Here I got my first teaching experience as a teaching assistant in a very good freshman English program. This might have been easier had I ever actually taken freshman English (I tested out of it), but at least I was not imitating anybody else.

BA, English

Dates: 
September 1959 - December 1962
Institution: 
Western Washington State College, Bellingham, WA
I minored in philosophy, acted in a number of plays, and worked my way through the last 2 years as a paid picket.

THE SMALL PRINT

I teach via email and telephone: you email me pieces of your writing, and I go over them with you on the phone, showing you how to make them better and suggesting readings to make your arguments more solid. I am more interested in teaching style and substance than grammar (style and substance get your ideas read; grammatical problems get your ideas tossed, unread). Payment via PayPal preferred, though I am open to other options. In all cases, I insist on payment before I teach--at my age, I can drop dead before the check clears.

I accept students on the basis of their work, evaluating a sample of their writing to see whether or not I can help them. This evaluation is free. Should you be accepted, it is entirely up to you to work with me (you will evaluate the quality of my comments on your sample to know whether you wish to).

Based in
Columbia, United States

Web links

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