Mr. Jack's Bio

My wife, my niece and me in Peru

I am a North Carolina native originally from a one stoplight town named Grifton. My parents soon moved to Garner, NC and I went to elementary school in Wake County. That is where I had my first significant experiences with the Spanish language. Sra. Maria, originally from Puerto Rico, would come to the class every week and teach only in Spanish while using visual aids and songs to keep us engaged. While I only learned a few words at that age, I believe this early exposure to the language was fundamental to my later success in becoming proficient in the Spanish language.


In high school, I became very frustrated with the rigidity of my educational experience. As a student who had always done well, I felt unchallenged and thus became uninterested in what was being taught in school. I was resentful that even as a good student, I was given virtually no say in the course of my learning. Naturally, I rebelled. Instead of completing my school work, I began reading and learning about what I was interested in. Obviously my grades suffered, and eventually I dropped out. But for as much as my hardheadedness and independent nature led to failure in high school, it was undoubtedly the key to my success in college. This early frustration and struggle also led to my present interest in tutoring.

Elementary Students in Honduras

I moved to Asheville in 2003 and married my wife, Kathy in 2005. Soon after I returned to college at Asheville-Buncome Technical and Community College where I worked as the peer tutor for the Spanish Department during my last semester. In 2009, I transferred to the University of North Carolina in Asheville in 2009. I chose to major in Sociology with a concentration in Anthropology because of my passion for learning about people and cultures around the world. I minored in Spanish. While studying at UNCA, I particpated in a bilingual health-promotion internship for Latino families in Buncombe county and in the university's undergraduate research program. I also had the opportunity to study abroad on a 10-day service-learning trip in primary schools and health clinics in rural Honduras. In 2011, I graduated with a 3.9 GPA (4-point scale) and was awarded a departmental distinction in scholarship.


By graduation, I realized that I was passionate about education and health promotion. I searched for work in both fields while continuing to tutor. In August of 2011, I began working with Artspace Charter School's "Aftercare" program. I also enrolled in courses through the Education Department at UNCA to continue developing my teaching methods.


In the Spring of 2012, I launched Mr. Jack's Tutoring and Educational Services online as part of a personal commitment to take my small tutoring business to the next level. I am committed to offering unparalleled service and professionalism in academic tutoring and language lessons. I am continuously collecting resources for English and Spanish language learners as well as developing new teaching aids and educational services for learners of all ages.