David Maddalena

Teaching and Tutoring

in the humanities

Over thirty years of teaching a wide variety of subjects, I have worked with students at all stages, from pre-school age to adult. I teach creative writing, theater, and public speaking, working with individuals and groups. My own work as a writer spans corporate and marketing work for startups, self-published (and well-reviewed) books, and published works in poetry, essay, and collage art.

Many of my creative writing students begin with a strong aversion to writing, or have been diagnosed as hopeless by classroom teachers or specialists. I delight in transforming these creative kids into lovers of writing. A great many of them eagarly develop, write, and edit their own book projects under my instruction.

A taste of my philosophy

In my writing work with students, I emphasize creativity as an essential, cross-vocational skill. But with decades of professional experience writing everything from books to business plans, I know that writing is not all about creativity. I am able to guide students in essential skills, from simple sentence syntax to crafting a complex novel. But my real joy is to work the creative soil in young writers who will be looking for inspiration for the rest of their lives no matter what kind of writing or thinking they do.

SUBJECTS: writing (creative writing, poetry, short story, book-length process, all ages); basic web publication (design, authoring, and publishing); theater (performance, auditions, scriptwriting ... 30 years experience); public speaking (speech, communication)

FORMATS: one-on-one, multi-student-reduced-rate, Skype, Google Hangouts. All classes Ocean Grove-approved

David Maddalena Tutoring is a licensed business in Los Altos, Ca, and a registered vendor for the Ocean Grove Charter School in San Jose

CONTACT

David Maddalena
dpmaddalena@gmail.com
650 648 3623

"My two sons have one class they have to take every semester and that is Dave's class! They enjoy them and look forward to them every week. Dave is kind, encouraging and understanding. His enthusiasm engages his students. His classes promote a safe and respectful learning environment that really motivate the kids!" -K.R., home school parent, San Jose

"Dave's class completely changed me! I used to hate writing and now I love to write and write on my own, without anyone making me. The creative writing class is my favorite class. ... I love his class!" -K.R., Student, 12.

"Dave Maddalena is one teacher who connects with each of my children and treats them with respect and great patience." - Ann W., home-school parent (children ages 5-18) and educator.

"I think we have all seen quite a transformation in our children." -Z.P., home school parent.