Meet SmartStart ELA Tutor Camilla Carr

Camilla Carr is a SmartStart Education ELA tutor working with 9th and 10th grade students at the Baltimore School for the Arts. She has been enjoying the experience and has been inspired by the talented teachers and students. “This is a wonderful school, because the kids want to be here and work hard,” she said. 

Background:

Carr holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Mt. Holyoke College as well as a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Minnesota. In addition, she attended Dartmouth College where she was an exchange student and language tutor while completing her postgraduate studies in theater and foreign languages. 

Carr said that teaching was the last thing she wanted to pursue after graduating. Her dream job was to be a soap opera star. However, her aspirations to be on television took her in a different direction. She spent the first 20 years of her career working as a journalist and television anchor. 

She became interested in education when she started her own media consultant business in 2003. This new endeavor offered her the opportunity to explore the educational field when she was hired by as an affiliate professor with Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland. It was here that she discovered the joy to teaching. In addition, she spent time as a guest teacher of language arts, history, and social studies and French at Friends School in Baltimore. “Whether you are teaching full-time or tutoring, the profession is both challenging and rewarding. My only regret is that I didn’t pursue full-time teaching ten years ago,” she said.

Teaching philosophy: 

Carr said she runs a tight but compassionate ship when teaching class. Her philosophy is to seek out students’ strengths and tailor her classroom sessions to meet students’ needs. “I view and grade them from a holistic point of view. Experience has taught me that each student has something to offer to the class. There are no problems, just challenges, in my class that we overcome together or individually,” she said.