Experienced Biology & AP Biology Teacher | AP Exam Reader

Thomas C.

I am a credentialed science teacher with 11 years of classroom experience, mainly in high school biology and AP Biology. I earned a B.A. from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Education from the University of the Pacific. I hold California teaching credentials in biology and chemistry. For the past several years, I have taught biology and AP Biology, and in the summer I serve as an AP Biology exam reader. My experience has given me a clear sense of what students need in order to succeed both in class and on high-stakes assessments.

My tutoring approach usually begins with questions. I like to find out what a student already understands about a topic, then build from there. Sometimes direct instruction is the best next step, especially when a student is missing an important concept or piece of background knowledge. Other times, it is more effective to ask follow-up questions that help reveal the limits of their understanding, especially in the places where students commonly have gaps. I also find that discussion and modeling how to solve actual problems are very helpful. Many students have the right ideas, but they need support interpreting the language of the problem, deciding where to begin, and learning how to organize their thinking.

Because I work with students in the classroom every day, I am familiar with the common places students get stuck in biology. For AP Biology students, I can help with free-response writing, interpreting graphs and tables, and building the kind of reasoning skills the AP exam rewards. My goal is for students to leave each session with a clearer understanding of the science, more confidence, and a better ability to think through problems on their own.