PrepNow Tutor - Suzanne R.
A teacher with over ten years of experience, Suzanne holds a BS in information and computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. “I've loved the opportunity to teach a variety of subjects with middle and high school students,” Suzanne says. After earning her degree, Suzanne worked as a software engineer at Lotus Development/IBM for six years. Suzanne discovered her love for teaching while homeschooling her four children from preschool through 8th grade. “Wanting to find a way to keep doing it after my kids aged out, I ended up working with a homeschool-mom friend who was founding a secular, progressive hybrid school for homeschoolers in grades 6-12,” Suzanne shares. Ultimately, Suzanne became Dean of the Junior High at the school, along with teaching several subjects in the classroom, including literature, history, science, math, and critical thinking. She’s now teaching part-time at another independent hybrid high school while also tutoring test prep.
As a teacher, Suzanne has taught middle school and high school ELA, middle school and high school history and social sciences, middle school and high school math, biology, chemistry, physics, and critical thinking. She has also offered SAT prep tutoring, math tutoring up to algebra I and geometry, and general college counseling. “I strongly believe that students can't learn unless they feel safe, so my priority is to create a welcoming and safe environment, which includes respecting a student's pronouns and preferred name,” Suzanne says. “I try to get to know students as individuals and build a relationship based on mutual respect. My job is always to be the adult in the room, and to come prepared with patience and a strong sense of humor.”
Suzanne wants to be a cheerleader for the students—to celebrate their accomplishments, help them build confidence in their academic abilities, and provide whatever support is needed. “If they've lost the sense that learning is fun and that they're good at it, I want to help them remember,” she explains. “On a more nuts-and-bolts level, my teaching style involves a lot of discussion, back-and-forth questions, and (me) scribbling on whatever surface is available.”
As a student, Suzanne participated in marching band, academic extracurricular clubs, and science fiction/fantasy conventions, and received the Presidential Scholarship. Her main hobby is reading. “I read just about anything, but my favorite genre is science fiction/fantasy,” she shares. When Suzanne isn’t reading, she’s often cross-stitching while watching YouTube video-game playthroughs or actual play D&D/RPG shows. “As a child, I lived for five years in Anchorage, Alaska before my family moved to Florida,” Suzanne says. “So I've lived in both the northernmost and southernmost continental US states.” Suzanne believes strongly in supporting LGBT students and their families.
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