Gary Young earned his bachelor''s degree in English from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2003. After graduating, he moved to Colorado where he taught for two years in the Roaring Fork Public School District before making the decision to pursue his master''s degree. In May of 2007, he completed his dual MA in literature and English pedagogy at Northern Michigan University. The major literary critical pieces he produced focused on American Non-fiction (Annie Dillard, E.B. White, Joan Didion, and Henry David Thoreau), Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night''s Dream, Henry VIII, and Hamlet), and Postmodern Fiction (John Barth, Don DeLillo, Jonathan Franzen, and Thomas Pynchon). During his master''s work, Gary was awarded a one-year teaching assistantship as a Freshman Composition instructor. For his capstone project in English pedagogy, Gary completed a one semester internship teaching ESL at China''s Sichuan Normal University where he taught general education English to non-English majors and to select students preparing for study-abroad in Malaysia.

Since graduating, Gary has instructed courses in ESL, Literature, Composition, and Public Speaking at Kyungwon University (Seoul), Northeastern University (Shenyang), Marymount College (Los Angeles), and, currently, Beijing Normal University (Zhuhai). He currently has three scholarly articles in process entitled: 1) The "Metaphor of Gods" and Metaphysical Enlightenment in Annie Dillard''s Holy the Firm 2) Showcasing Literature: The Simple Art of Teaching Literature 3) Pedagogy to the Limit: Writing Woes in the Land of Mao. "Pedagogy to the Limit" is currently under review by the editor of University of California-Davis'' ''Writing on the Edge.''

Regarding his decisions to pursue a career in education, Gary Young writes, "I became a teacher because I care about people and I value clear communication. As a teacher, I believe a gifted communicator makes knowledge highly accessible and makes learning a pleasure. My approach to the classroom is built around three principles: enthusiasm, engagement, and discipline. The climate of the classroom is my responsibility. Through solid preparation, creative, practical assignments, and my attitude, I develop an energetic learning environment. The transfer of knowledge excels when the teacher engages the students intentionally and personally. Within two weeks I know most of my students’ names, and I seek opportunities to connect with my students one-on-one. This personal connection helps us establish trust and affords me opportunities to learn about where individual students come from and where they want to go in life, and I use the special moments presented to offer counsel and encouragement.

To engage my students effectively, I allow adequate time for careful selection of my course texts and course curricula. In the classroom, I emphasize not a passive but an active, student-centered learning environment through use of small-group assignments, the Socratic method, student-lead teaching, community brainstorming, and by constance in asking students to read and respond. By engaging my students’ minds through practical exercises and substantive texts, and by stressing quality of ideas and honesty in writing and conversation, I help them to develop the skills they need to read, write, and communicate proficiently for academics and in their real world communications."

Outside of the classroom, Gary has worked as a professional writing tutor helping students get accepted into undergradaute and graduate programs which include Duke University, Arizona State University, and University of Illinois. He served as an English pronunciation coach for Northeastern University''s Shakespeare Players Competitive Drama Team. In addition, he is a Level 1 Certified Coach with USA Track and Field.