I am currently a Ph.D philosophy student at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, writing my dissertation specifically in the area of political philosophy. After graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH) with a B.A. in Theology (minor in Philosophy), as well as an M.A. in Theology, in 2009, I began teaching 7th grade science at an inner-city charter school in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was one of the most prominent charter schools in the state of Ohio, called...
I am currently a Ph.D philosophy student at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, writing my dissertation specifically in the area of political philosophy. After graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville (OH) with a B.A. in Theology (minor in Philosophy), as well as an M.A. in Theology, in 2009, I began teaching 7th grade science at an inner-city charter school in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was one of the most prominent charter schools in the state of Ohio, called Entrepreneurship Preparatory School. After teaching for two years, my wife and I moved down to Houston so that I could begin graduate work in philosophy at the University of St. Thomas. Since the Fall 2012 semester, I have been teaching undergraduate philosophy and theology courses, typically during summer sessions.
Also during the fall 2012 semester, I began tutoring at the University of St. Thomas, particularly in the areas of English, philosophy, and theology. I worked there until May 2015, when I was hired to teach at a Catholic High School in Spring. I worked there for a year, and then decided to spend more time actually writing my dissertation. This semester, I am teaching an undergraduate course to the Dominican Sisters of Houston, and will continue to teach in the philosophy or theology departments at the University of St. Thomas each semester.
Something that I ended up loving about tutoring students was rather unexpected. When students came for help in tutoring, often times they were struggling with more difficult concepts, ones that they had either never heard of or had little knowledge about. What we did in our lessons was reverse the order of learning that they were struggling with: instead of starting with an abstract concept, we would begin with more local and proximate observations around them or in their own life, and then rise from there to something that would be more like a first principle. Not only was this a powerfully effective path for helping students to understand the material, but it also aligns with the nat
