Sean R   

New tutor

Licensed American English Educator — Your Guide to Confident Communication, Cultural Discovery, and Global Connection

What is your favorite word in your language and why?

I like that English is just a mix of a bunch of different languages like French German Latin and Greek.

What is your favorite dish from your hometown? If you no longer live there is there a good local restaurant that serves it?

My favorite dish from Detroit is Detroit-style pizza. It’s rectangular in shape and was originally cooked in steel pans that used to hold small car parts. It’s topped with Wisconsin brick cheese rather than cheddar, giving it those wonderfully crispy, caramelized edges. The crust is light and crispy, with plenty of sauce and pepperoni. Two great places to try it are Loui’s Pizza and Buddy’s.

Besides the languages you teach, do you speak or study any other languages?

I’ve been speaking Japanese since 2011, and just in the past year, I’ve taken up learning Spanish. I’ve found that Japanese has really helped me with my Spanish pronunciation. I studied French in high school and a little in college, which helped me become more comfortable with Spanish grammar.

What are your interests outside of teaching at Strommen?

Music has always been with me ever since I was young. My grandfather was a country musician in Detroit in the 1950s, and my father played guitar and wrote songs as well. I started playing when I was 14, and I still constantly write new songs. More recently, I’ve taken up playing soccer and following the EFL (English Football League). It’s a great way to exercise and keep fit, and it also helps my busy mind relax.

What do you consider your hometown? Why do you love it?

My hometown is Madison Heights, Michigan, though I consider all of Michigan to be my “hometown.” Why? I spent my summers looking out the car window at the trees, farmland, and quiet towns that flew by as my family and I made our way to one campsite or another. I remember the expansive, rolling gray clouds still rumbling after a storm; running barefoot through blistering sand dunes before bounding into the cool waters of one of the Great Lakes; campfires and the stars above. But it’s not just Michigan’s nature that keeps such a warm place in my heart. It’s the people—ever practical, ever kind, ever helpful. And Detroit: a city with its share of hardship, certainly, but also so much love, heart, and soul. And then there’s the music—the sound of Motown humming on the radio as we rolled along the highway. These are the things that made Michigan home for me: its landscapes, its people, its music, and the memories made along the way.