Why do I coach?

I didn’t take a traditional path to becoming a math teacher. I was a strong math student in school and always took accelerated classes 1 or 2 years above my grade level, but I always had trouble understanding my teachers’ methods. I couldn’t follow their logic—I often got overwhelmed and frustrated. What they were saying just felt like words coming at me; I couldn’t process any of it. Fortunately, I was good at figuring things out my own way. I did well on tests and would show my classmates my methods. Often they'd say: “Why can’t the teacher teach it like that?” In my last two years of high school, I co-ran the student-to-student tutoring program, my first foray into teaching. Throughout middle and high school I was given math aptitude tests, some mandatory and some given to honors classes. I took first place every year, and I loved my special power. I began to realize I had something my teachers hadn’t recognized. I got the highest math SAT score in my grade. I entered Georgetown University as a math major, but changed my major to English Literature for various reasons. My senior year of college I took the LSAT and did really well. I attended Seton Hall Law School on the school's top scholarship for one year before deciding law wasn’t for me. Around this time, I started tutoring SAT part time to make extra money and I immediately loved it. I liked working with high school kids and I enjoyed opening up students' eyes to seeing math the way I did--as something fun. I also loved teaching SAT math subject tests (trigonometry and precalculus content) and contest math. I was recruited by Kaplan Test Prep to work in its sales department to sell Kaplan products. While at Kaplan, I was also trained to teach GMAT and GRE classes. After a few years, I decided teaching was what I really loved most, so I completed post-baccalaureate math classes, then enrolled in a Masters in Math Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. I started teaching high school math in 2008; I offered test prep tutoring after school and on weekends, working mostly on the ACT and SAT. I’ve since expanded to the GMAT and GRE, and I consider myself an expert on all tests I teach. I’ve had quite a bit of success as a tutor, and I think there are two reasons for that. One, I’m always trying to perfect my craft. Over the years, I’ve observed what other companies—Veritas Prep, Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc—have done and cobbled together my own curriculum, my own best practices. The second reason is that I genuinely love tutoring. I love seeing people solve problems for themselves, love seeing them get to that “aha” moment. For me, the feeling of getting someone to that breakthrough moment when the idea just clicks—it’s indescribably gratifying. That is why I tutor.

Work Experience

GMAT/GRE/SAT/ACT Tutor

Self Employed

September 2006 - Present

• Guide students through content and strategies so they can strategize and problem solve masterfully on standardized tests • Designed my own curriculum (using an amalgam of other curricula) and test-taking strategies in order to implement more engaging and thought-provoking lessons • Show students the subtle intricacies of each test--the way questions and answers are written, which concepts the test makers focus on most, and how traps are created and how to avoid them

Adjunct Math Faculty

Colorado Mountain College

August 2014 - August 2016

• Taught Dual Enrollment College Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus classes to upperclassmen looking to earn college credits through Colorado Mountain College • Taught an introductory non-credit math course on the CMC Edwards campus in order to help students gain fundamental math skills for future success in credit classes • Implemented the Integrated Math II Honors program, which focuses on Algebra I/II and Geometry topics • Implemented a Problem-Solving based Student Learning Objective in my classes so that my students acquire critical thinking skills when tackling challenging math problems • Taught night classes in ACT math to students looking to improve their performance on the college admissions test

Math Teacher--Grades 9, 10, Grade 12-IB Math Studies, Grade 12--Selectividad

American School of Valencia

August 2013 - August 2014

• Implemented the Algebra I and II curricula to grades 9 and 10 to promote students’ problem-solving skills • Taught the International Baccalaureate Math Studies Curriculum to Grade 12 to prepare them for their internal and external assessments • Prepared Grade 12 students for the Spanish Selectividad Ciencas Sociales Exam required by Spanish universities • Created a tutoring program for high school students looking for extra math help

Math Teacher at Montclair High School (Calculus, PreCalculus, Geometry, Algebra II)

Montclair Schools

September 2008 - September 2013

• Designed and authored the current PreCalculus Honors curriculum being used in the high school • Evaluated student progress based on long and short-term goals, and maintained accurate and complete records

SAT Teacher/Summer Staff

Leysin American School

June 2009 - September 2009

• Designed my own curriculum and test-taking strategies in order to prepare American and international students for the SAT

GMAT/GRE/SAT/ACT Tutor

Kaplan Test Prep

April 2002 - April 2006

• Tutored students in math and reading comprehension to prepare them for requisite entrance exams such as the GMAT, GRE, SAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, SAT II Math Subject Tests

Educational Advisor

Kaplan Test Prep

April 2002 - April 2004

• Counseled students and parents on standardized exams such as the SAT I & II, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, and SSHSAT to assess which tests were appropriate for individual high school and college applications • Assessed needs by investigating students’ levels of understanding and learning styles in order to recommend different methods of instruction provided by Kaplan

Education

Georgetown University

Bachelors of Arts, English Literature

I entered GU as a math major, but I didn't enjoy the school's program. I was always a good English student in high school and I had strong writing skills, so I ended up majoring in English Literature. I minored in Spanish and studied in Costa Rica for a semester. (I later lived in Barcelona and Valencia, Spain.)

Columbia University

Masters of Arts, Math Education

Teachers College is the oldest graduate teaching program in the country and became part of Columbia University in 1898, eleven years after it was founded. TC was, undoubtedly, the most rewarding learning experience of my life and I am very honored to be part of its community. While a student there, I learned so much about the components of problem solving, and those studies made me a much better test prep teacher.