Experienced Teacher with Extensive Experience in All HS Sciences

Ian A.

Greetings, I’m Ian! I like to consider myself a “Learning Facilitator,” rather than a teacher, because in the end, a student can only learn if they take responsibility for their own growth. As a facilitator, my job is to find ways to inspire the individual student to find motivation, and to give them the nudges and support they need along the way. As a classroom educator, I have always striven to provide a student-centered and hands-on curriculum where students learn through inquiry. As a tutor, I try to do the same, but am sensitive to the needs of individual students and their particular goals.

I am a “Third Culture Kid,” which means my time growing up was split between schools in Nevada and international schools in other countries. In my case, those other countries were Thailand, China, and Korea. This background has given me a multicultural perspective, which has translated into an educational philosophy that celebrates diversity with a focus on helping students grow into well-rounded Global Citizens.

Before teaching, I worked in university research labs (neuroscience and public health) before getting my MEd. I started my career teaching 7th and 8th grade general science at an international school in Myanmar for 3 years, After that, I taught at an international school in Japan for 6 years, where I gained experience teaching Biology (including AP), Chemistry (including AP), AP Physics I, AP Psychology, and AP Computer Science A. How and why did I teach all those subjects, you may ask: because it was a small school and I was the only science teacher; I had to teach all the high school sciences in a two year rotation. This helped me develop strong skills in curricular development and personalization to individual students, as they pursued their college prep goals.