PrepNow Tutor - Alex S.
Lifelong learner Alex has a background of formal and informal study in a variety of fields, and he loves to share that knowledge with others. He is laid-back, goofy, and the proud recipient of the “most likely to share a fun fact” award at his last teaching job. Alex graduated with honors from one of the most prestigious college preparatory schools in Philadelphia. From there, he attended Temple University, where he earned a minor in mathematics and two bachelor’s degrees—one in economics and one in philosophy. Despite being an undergraduate, Alex’s aptitude for philosophy prompted his professor to invite him into graduate-level courses. Though he is not currently enrolled in school, Alex has continued pursuing knowledge through independent research into subjects as varied as theoretical computer science, mathematics, biology, and psychology. To this end, he recently completed a financial technology programming bootcamp where he studied data science and blockchain development.
While Alex is passionate about education, he began formally teaching in early 2022, when he got a job as a special education teacher and language remediation technician. He has worked with students from many different backgrounds with a variety of different learning disabilities. He is experienced in teaching reading and writing as well as biology and earth science. That said, much of his experience is in mathematics, namely arithmetic, basic geometry, and algebra.
Building rapport with students is Alex’s biggest focus—especially with reluctant students. “Everything becomes so much easier when you build a genuine connection, make the student invested in the rapport you have, and enjoy working with you as much as possible even if they don’t like the subject matter,” he says. He wants his students to feel like they’re “part of a team together” even when he’s pressing them to interact with something they don’t want to learn. The other part of that equation, of course, is “to make the subject matter itself as engaging as possible.”
Learning new material is something Alex is well versed in. He once served as co-captain of his high school academic challenge team, which is probably why his self-proclaimed biggest hobby as an adult is independent research of different fields. As a high school student, Alex also ran cross country and was part of an after school music program where he played guitar and sang. That experience led him to singing in a Led Zeppelin cover show!
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