Tutor Gregory Van Winkle recently began his new position and is looking forward to joining the Algonquin community and connecting with new students.
Prior to his time at Algonquin, Van Winkle earned degrees in creative writing and German from the University of Missouri, as well as a masters degree in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida. He was a high school English teacher in Florida for four years directly before his time at Algonquin and is happy with his new environment.
“The kids have been great,” Van Winkle said. “I was teaching in Florida, and the school I was teaching at was about twice this size. It’s a different set of students with a different set of values and I’m getting along well with the students [at Algonquin] and what they value. It’s more in line with me.”
Van Winkle’s migration to New England was fueled because of his family’s locations and his beliefs on teaching, specifically in English classrooms.
“Politically, [Florida] is not easy for English teachers, and I did not like the idea of somebody telling me what books I could have on the shelf in my classroom,” Van Winkle said. “That is one of the things I tried to teach my students: Don’t let other people tell you what you can and cannot read. Politically, Massachusetts is very much the opposite, so that was a major pull factor.”
In addition to his experience in different academic programs, Van Winkle has embarked on several career paths throughout his life that he believes have given him a better understanding of the world.
“I taught college-level English classes as an assistant,” Van Winkle said. “Prior to that, I was in the restaurant business for a long time. It’s good experience to have different careers; you can meet different people and it gives you a broader perspective.”
Van Winkle has enjoyed his experience as a tutor for the Access program, as he gets to connect with various students while he aids them in their return to school after a long-term absence.
“One of the things I like about tutoring is that there are fewer students with more focused problems,” Van Winkle said. “If you’re teaching a classroom full of 20-25 students, it’s difficult to tend to students’ particular needs, and I like being able to get my hands a little dirty with students’ problems.”
One thing he is especially looking forward to is having the ability to support his students inside and outside the classroom.
“When I was in Florida, I couldn’t attend a lot of the extracurricular events because I didn’t live close to campus,” Van Winkle said. “Here, I live less than 15 minutes from campus, so when there is a game or performance, I can be part of it.”
Van Winkle has big plans for his future, both at Algonquin and in his personal life. He hopes to attend the University of Maryland’s online graduate school program for Library and Information Science, which is an interdisciplinary field of study that prepares students to support information in institutions such as libraries and museums.
“I have a lot of free time now, and I hope to be starting a graduate school program this spring, which will consume a lot of my time,” Van Winkle said. “When I was in Florida I coached the tennis team, so I may be involved in tennis at Algonquin.”
