I like to figure out what subjects my students understand and what interests they have. When possible, I draw analogies between what they already understand and what they're trying to learn. It's hard to memorize facts without understanding the conceptual framework they fit into, so my goal is to emphasize concepts.
No one wants to look ignorant, me included. However, I've found the best course of action when I don't know something is to admit my ignorance and guide the student in finding useful information instead of making something up to save face, as some educators do.
Regarding my background, I went to high school in Colorado Springs and took AP calculus, AP physics, AP chemistry, and honors biology. I played the clarinet in band, took C++, and trudged through all the other typical high school courses. My plan was to become a doctor, but I was also interested in computer programming, so when I started college at Colorado State University, I was a computer science major. By the end of my freshman year I had had my fill of the nitty gritty of computers, so I earned my bachelor's in biology with a minor in biomedical sciences.
While in college, I took human anatomy with cadaver lab, then went on to assist students in that lab and dissect the cadavers for it. After undergrad, I went to Rocky Vista University, a new medical school in Denver, during which my school paid me to tutor fellow students in anatomy. While teaching anatomy, I discovered a knack for helping people grasp information I understand. After graduating from medical school, I moved to Florida for my internship, but hit a wall and made the tough decision to make a career change. I really enjoyed working one-on-one with students in the past, helping them overcome conceptual hurdles, and that's the direction I'd like to take my career.
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