About Cathy
I’ve worked as a cook, a national park ranger, a French teacher, an English teacher, a cross country coach, and a writing tutor.
I taught high school English for eight years in public and independent schools. I have worked as a college admissions essay coach for two years. I hold a single-subject teaching credential in English and an MFA in Writing. My expertise includes essay-writing, screenwriting, and true stories told live in venues like The Moth.
I have a special affinity for high school juniors and seniors, and I am highly experienced working with students with learning differences and with students who are neurodivergent. As I have moved from classroom teaching to independent essay coaching, I have come to appreciate the role of the coach as something distinct from the role of the teacher. A coach functions sometimes as a therapist, helping students to identify their emotional challenges and to manage their thoughts in order to improve their performance. My time spent as a cross country coach and as a leader of student trips abroad has allowed me to work with teenagers who are under unusual pressure and to see them triumph.
If you’re not having fun you’re doing it wrong.
A personal essay is probably not something you’ve learned to write in school. I’m eager to help you discover this exciting literary genre and to get you fired up about writing your own personal essay.
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
petrickcathy@gmail.com
Phone
(415) 902-2643