Aisha Walker

As a current Ph.D. student in English, I am most interested in providing assistance in the realms of literature and composition. After graduating from Yale in 2013 with a B.A. in English, I went out into the workforce, serving in several capacities across the communications and finance sectors. I returned to academia in 2015, and completed my Master's degree in English in 2017. Since then, I have been working towards the completion of my Ph.D., submitting articles for publication, and presenting my research at conferences. I also serve as the Managing Editor for the MOSF Journal of Science Fiction, and in that capacity perform high-level editorial duties including but not limited to developmental and standard editing, copyediting, proofreading, and management of staff. Perhaps my most crucial experience, however, has been my time as an Undergraduate Instructor at SMU for a section of their Discourse & Discernment Course (DISC). DISC functions much like Composition 101, but also emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and strong research practices. I have also tutored extensively in ACT and SAT Reading and Writing, as well as time management, and navigating learning disabilities. 

In my classes I strive for engaged pedagogy, which urges students to consider the wider implications of the texts that we read, and centralizes respectful discourse and holistic learning. While I still maintain a strict boundary between myself and my students, I tend to be more conversational/dialectical in my approach, asking questions that hopefully lead students towards further insights. I am dedicated to  positive student outcomes and invest a great amount of time in working closely with students on revision and copyediting. Most importantly, I am invested in helping students become a little more tolerant and introspective about the consequences of their thoughts and actions in the larger world. This requires an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust, and honesty. 

For test prep, I tend to focus on problem areas pertaining to reading or writing, before prescribing a more specialized plan for improving scores and testing habits. I also specialize in teaching timed writing.