Hey, Mike here! I can’t wait to get started with you! After growing up in the West Metro, I attended The College of William and Mary as a James Monroe Scholar and earned my bachelor’s degree in Classical Civilization. I later returned to Minneapolis to earn my Master of Arts in Education from Augsburg University. I hold an active Minnesota 5–12 Social Studies Teaching License, along with MCEE certifications in economics. I have taught Social Studies at Wayzata High School, Nicollet Middle School, and Minnetonka High School’s VANTAGE program. Currently, I teach secondary social studies, AP Microeconomics, and intensive English Language Arts at The International School of Minnesota, while also coaching speech and debate.

My teaching experience focuses on the social sciences, history, economics, and the English language arts. For twelve seasons, I coached Classic Debate at Orono High School with an emphasis on historical context, academic substance and rhetorical impact. For two years, I was the Public Address Speech coach as well, where I helped students improve their research skills, rhetorical argumentation, editing, and speaking skills.  In addition to many years of teaching in the Twin Cities, I’ve also taught abroad. Three years teaching high school English in Japan and years of working with ESL students have sharpened my instruction of high-level grammar, rhetoric, and thesis writing. My speech and debate experiences have also allowed me to guide students through complex analytical essays and humanities coursework.

My teaching and tutoring approach relies on direct, customized instruction, clear goals, and rapport-building. Whether a student needs deep subject-matter mastery or extra support with motivation and focus, one-on-one tutoring allows me to adapt lessons to how each student learns best.

At Kay Tutoring, I support middle and high school students in social studies courses (regular and AP); English Language Arts courses (regular and AP); and economics courses (regular and AP). I am also available to support students with the fundamentals of executive functioning coaching.

When I’m not teaching, you can find me hosting local trivia nights, coaching speech and debate, and deep diving into history. I look forward to working with you!