Passionate Educator for Math and Physics

Alex R.

I graduated from the University of Missouri in 2021 with a BS in Math and a BS in Physics. I got a teaching certification in Missouri and worked in a public school for three years, during which time I got a Master's in Teaching (focusing on secondary education). I am also currently finishing an MS degree in pure mathematics from the University of North Alabama, while teaching in an independent school in the Tampa Bay Area.

During undergrad, I served as a tutor for the Learning Center, providing sessions in math to students in either group settings or one-on-on, to identify their needs and help them best understand the material. I also was a TA for a few chemistry courses, having to facilitate labs and assist students with questions pertaining to writing reports. Other than that, I've had private sessions and worked for Tutor.com. I just finished my 5th year teaching high school, where I had to deliver content and assist students outside of class to help them achieve mastery understanding in a variety of courses.

My teaching approach is a student-centered one, where I do direct instruction that is tied to real world examples that appeal to students. I also enjoy incorporating hands-on learning, which for science usually includes demos or toys that demonstrate an important scientific phenomenon which needs to be observed before we talk about the theoretical basis and walk through the math. Carefully crafted labs are included in this teaching philosophy where appropriate and best helpful.

I do not enjoy giving example after example problem until students know how to apply an algorithm to solve a problem. I aim for mastery level understanding, where I ask difficult conceptual questions and we do application style problems that test not just the basics, but if they can use the basics to model the world around them. This applies to both physics and math.