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I'm Jenn
Jacobs.
kind of like Anne with an e, but Jenn with two n's
I'm a personal tutor in Toronto, visual thinker & unordinary academic resource creator who loves to write with a freshly sharpened pencil and a spiral notebook.
I'm Jenn. An author of digital writing tutorials, bookworm with a master's degree, private tutor who sticks around for the long haul, obsessive DIYer & thrifter, long-time visual artist, cat lover, and proud mama of two free-spirited boys and one mini-me.
If you had told me as a first-year student in university I would one day create my own line of personal academic writing resources, teach 1000s of students how to become better writers, and support my family as a full-time personal tutor, I would have said you were nuts!
BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS...
the grades on my first-year essays said it all:
I knew almost nothing about writing an essay.
With dreams of attending grad school and becoming the first one in my family to get a PhD in English Lit - arguably the essay capital of academia! - I tried everything to boost my essay grades!
I spent hours doing research & taking extensive notes
I made appointments at the writing centre to take advantage of extra help
I met with my profs during office hours
I scoured libraries, bookstores & Google for the best writing resources
I studied grammar books and completed writing exercises to improve my sentence structure
Still, nothing I tried resulted in the grad-school worthy grades I desperately wanted.
I know the disappointment of spending hours on a term paper only to see the same number appear over and over again on my transcript. I know what it's like reading 100s of articles only to go to bed without having written a single sentence. I've sat with red burning eyes staring a screen writing and rewriting paragraphs because I didn't know what direction my essay was going and I didn't know what my profs expected.
Yep, I've been there.
But - here's what I know now...
I know the way out, and I've been showing students just like you the way to better grades for the past 20 (almost 25!) years.
A few surprising truths about my journey to becoming an academic writing instructor...
1
In my 3rd year of undergrad, the prof I most admired told me I wasn't cut out for the world of academia. This pushed me to work harder and, 2 years later, that same prof wrote me a letter of reference for grad school and offered to be my PhD supervisor.
2
I started tutoring when I was 19. I was hired as the senior English instructor at an upscale tutoring centre in Toronto. Seven years later, I quit because I didn't agree with how the director was running the centre. About 6 months later, the owner of the centre called and asked what it would take for me to return as the Director. I set my terms, the owner accepted them and, in 2006, I became the director of the tutoring centre I had loved for many years.
3
As an English major, a lot of people assume I have a deep love for grammar. Let me say without hesitation: I don't. In my first year of university, I thought it was my weak grammar and sentence structure that was pulling down my grades. So, I bought a bunch of grammar workbooks and learned quite a few things. But, the truth is, I didn't enjoy studying it - and weak grammar wasn't at the root of my writing woes.
4
My degree in the visual arts has had as much of an impact on making me the writing teacher I am today, as my degree in English Literature. I wouldn't be running my own tutoring business today if I hadn't studied both art and literature. I use both kinds of thinking in my teaching and I know it's my inner artist and ways thinking about art that have made me successful in teaching abstract writing concepts.
It wouldn't be an authentic ABOUT page though, if I didn't share a little bit about what makes me unordinary.
I drink one regular coffee in the morning and then black coffee throughout the rest of the day.
I taught myself to sew after I had my first child because I wanted beautiful baby clothes but couldn't afford to buy them.
I have no problem pulling over while driving if I spot a piece of abandoned furniture that could be my next DIY project.
I've attended the same church, every Sunday, since the month I was born. After my mom and dad, I'm the longest-attending congregant.
I can't leave the house in the morning until every bed is made and the floor in each room is clutter-free.
I hated playing sports and anything athletic-related in high school. Then one day, when I was 19, I decided to work out. I've worked out 5-6 days a week ever since.
I hate shoe shopping. I own 3 pairs: one pair of running shoes for working out, one pair of sandals and one pair of winter boots.
My husband & I grew up in hockey homes. Today, we're a hockey family that travels to a different city each year to catch a Toronto Maple Leafs game. This year we're heading to Chicago!
Ohhh, I almost forgot! Before you visit my store and pick up a tutorial or two, you need to know...
1.
I won't tell you writing is easy.
The steps are simple to follow. But, you still have to put in the work... and lots of it.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I won't guarantee A's.
But, I do guarantee you'll start thinking & writing more like an A student - and that's really where you need to start.
I won't dish out quick fixes.
I teach you how to think and see writing in new ways. Hacks don't work and I want nothing to do with them.
I won't teach formulas.
Writing formulas limit your thinking and make writing a fill-in-the-blank exercise. I'm not into that. I teach you to be an explorer.
I won't separate critical writing from critical reading.
I teach you how to think and see writing in new ways. Hacks don't work and I want nothing to do with them.
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