Lenses, Waves, and Words combines the creative and teaching worlds of Cheryl French. I am a writer, educator, editor, and photographer. I spend my days traveling around the Greater New York City area and trying to engage my students in the wonders of the English language. I take photographs along the way. You can follow my daily rambles via lenseswavesandwords on Instagram.

Photography encourages me to pause and reflect. Through photography, I look closely at the world around me, observing it from different perspectives. Sometimes I simply document what I see; other times I use my photographs to comment and to engage my viewers in questioning what they (we, really) see and think. Photography sparks creativity and conversation. It offers an outlet for my own creativity and also acts as a prompt for my students and for my own writing and reflection.

I bring to my tutoring and editing an extensive and varied educational and work history. After several years of running a small institute dedicated to professional development and public programs on issues of children, childhood, and education, I returned to teaching and tutoring adults and children, with a focus on teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), reading, and writing. I also have a background in program development and administration, ranging from a pilot program for graduate students of journalism to a university writing center to weeklong professional development institutes for teachers and other child development specialists. In addition to higher education, I have worked in nonprofit theatre, public library, and retail settings. As a freelance tutor, I have taught both English language learners and native English speakers at all ages and levels. As a writer, photographer, and audio storyteller/producer, I seek opportunities to use those tools to encourage and support reading, literacy, and language learning in any format.

I hold a Master of Arts from New York University in Teaching English to Non-Native English Speakers and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Law and Society.