PrepNow Tutor - Tyler O.
Since 2017, Tyler has been a reading clinician, paraprofessional, tutor, support specialist, substitute teacher, camp counselor, camp director, high school English teacher, and IDEA Teacher. After pursuing general studies at Moraine Valley Community College, he earned a bachelor's in English with a concentration in creative writing from DePaul University and a master's in secondary teacher education (with a teaching license) from the University of Phoenix. As of 2026, he is an IDEA teacher who also occasionally runs a STEM camp during the summer and after school.
After graduating from DePaul, Tyler was a tour guide at the Adler Planetarium, where he learned he loved educating children. "The children responded well to me, and I felt it was easy and natural to speak to them on their level, listen to them, respond, and teach them something they appreciated at the end of the day," he reflects. He then taught reading skills and became a paraprofessional in the school district of his youth before and during his master's program.
"My greatest achievement is the collective impact I've made; everywhere I've ended up, I try to be a force of positive change and accomplishment for my students, which many students have indeed confirmed as the school years come to a close," he notes. Tyler still has a several-inch-thick stack of thank-you notes from former students, particularly those from his student-teaching experience.
Tyler has taught English and language arts skills to students ranging from pre-K to undergraduates. As an IDEA teacher, he teaches topics ranging from pre-K to 8th-grade ELA and math. He also has extensive experience with one-on-one tutoring, mainly during summers and after school; this includes working with students on ACT preparation as well as math (arithmetic, algebra, and geometry).
Tyler's teaching philosophy is that everything can hold significant knowledge for students' lives if they look deep enough, and he believes that a student’s time in the academic world is far more than just the numbers on their transcripts. "Perhaps most importantly, I also make my lessons and assignments relevant to their lives as well as engaging and entertaining, as there is no reason learning can’t be an enjoyable experience," he says. "Students are far more ready to learn when they don’t dread entering your classroom." Tyler is proud to share that during his two years as an IDEA teacher, he has had five students test out of academic intervention programs.
In high school, Tyler ran track & field and volunteered to serve his community. At DePaul, his grades earned him a regular spot on the dean's list.
A lifelong learner, Tyler likes to stay curious in any activity he does. "I frequently exercise, cook, read, write, go to concerts, and attend any random events that I come across while out exploring and looking for any interesting and out-of-the-ordinary things," he shares.
Fun (literary) fact: "I opened and run my own publishing house. I made it not only for myself, but because of how difficult it is to get published as a first-time author, along with the predatory presses that take advantage of such things."
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