PrepNow Tutor - Amanda K.
A dedicated and hard-working educator, Amanda’s main career goal is to make sure that her students are prepared for life outside of high school. “I like to work with my students to meet them where they are at and help them to achieve more than they thought they could,” Amanda says. She holds a BA in English with a minor in history from Tarleton State University; she is ELAR certified (grades 4-12), Speech Certified (grades 7-12), ESL certified (grades 7-12), and has had training in dyslexia intervention. Amanda has taught English, language arts, and reading since 2007, as well as STAAR remediation classes and communication applications. In addition to tutoring test prep, she is currently teaching English 3 for a virtual academy.
“I have always loved learning and sharing with others,” Amanda says, recalling that her favorite game as a child was playing school and that she’d line up her stuffed animals, give them homework, and read stories to them. “I like the light bulb moments when new concepts make sense to my students, and I love when they leave my classroom confident in moving on to higher levels of academic challenges,” Amanda explains. “I also really like working one-on-one or in small groups with my students. Students work better when they are getting more individualized attention and feel more comfortable asking questions.”
While Amanda’s teaching has been centered in the humanities, she has extensive experience tutoring test prep. When teaching in schools, she would open up her classroom during breaks to any students who wanted help preparing for the ACT/SAT. She also taught STAAR/EOC remediation classes for three years. “I have lost track of how many students that I have helped prepare for testing over the past 17 years,” Amanda says. “All of my students have had great success on their state exams as well as ACT/SAT exams.”
As a tutor, Amanda works to find a way to relate the information to her students so that they can best understand the concept. “I strive to be the teacher that I wished I would have had when I was a student,” Amanda says. “I believe that teachers and students have a 50/50 relationship in education. The teachers show up and give 100% effort to presenting the information to the students in an understandable way, yet challenge and push the students to achieve higher standards. The students need to show up daily and give 100% effort in absorbing the information, asking questions when they do not understand, and communicating their needs with their teachers.” Amanda believes that students need to understand that the teachers are there for student support and achievement, but that it takes effort on their part as well.
In high school, Amanda was a member of the National Honor Society. She was an athletic trainer in both high school and college.
She enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music, spending time with her nephews and nieces, and playing card games and board games. She loves animals and has a dog. Baseball is her favorite sport, but she also likes hunting, four-wheeling, and football. “I am a tomboy and Whataburger is my favorite fast food place,” Amanda says. “I live in the country and like sitting on my porch watching the chickens and other animals.”
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