Larissa Stutterheim

About

• Larissa has devoted two decades to getting students excited about English language and literature. She holds a BA from the University of Alberta, a BEd from McGill University, and an MA in English Literature from The Open University in the UK.

• Larissa has taught in a number of different educational contexts, from an urban public school in Montreal to a private school in rural British Columbia to a mission-driven international school in the Netherlands. She has worked as a classroom teacher, a tutor, and even took on a stint as Head of the English department. 

• In addition to nerding out about books, Larissa also spends her time coaching aspiring writers, facilitating creative workshops, and making art.

• In her spare time, Larissa loves to work on the land at her home in northern Portugal, making pickles and jams from the bounty grown in the garden. 

Published work or mentions

• Larissa’ s Master’s dissertation examined ethical reading practice and postcolonial criticism, focusing on how complex identities shape questions of authorship, voice, and representation in literature.

Education

• Larissa graduated from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Linguistics, followed by a Bachelor of Education with a focus in English literature, from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 2005.

• In 2020, Larissa graduated with a Master of Arts in English Literature (Distinction) from the Open University UK.

Expertise

• Working in a variety of educational contexts with students from diverse backgrounds and with different learning needs has motivated Larissa to develop flexible and inclusive approaches to teaching and revision. Her practice moves away from prescriptive models of learning in order to create space for multiple ways of thinking, learning, and engaging with material.

• Larissa particularly loves any opportunity to bring together creative expression and literary analysis. 

Top revision quote for students

“Revision is most effective when it becomes an act of curiosity: asking questions, wondering, imagining, and finding new ways to make connections with characters, texts, and ideas.”