PrepNow Tutor - John M.
John has over five years of professional teaching and tutoring experience; he has worked with students from kindergarten to high school on a wide variety of topics, including English and math. He has a BS in geology from Iowa State University, and after graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher, private tutor, and data analyst for Apple Maps. "Having recently returned from Australia, I currently work as a tutor for StudyPoint while pursuing full-time teaching positions for the fall," he adds.
John began tutoring in 2020. "I found I really enjoyed working with students and continued working as a tutor even after starting other full-time roles," he shares. While he primarily taught elementary and middle school math and science, he also often instructed older students in non-STEM topics. John has also worked as a substitute teacher and filled in for gym and music classes from time to time.
"When working through difficult concepts, I try to break them down into simpler ideas the student has already mastered," explains John about his tutoring style. To build rapport with students, John gets to know about their lives outside of academics. "I find it can be helpful to learn a bit about their hobbies and at times try to work their interests into concepts we are working on," he posits. To uncover weaknesses, John homes in on students' thought processes to identify any missteps. "It helps to identify areas that might not make the most sense for the student, which we can then iron out together," he shares.
As a student, John participated in hockey, rugby, speech team, bicycling, and darts. After four years of living in Texas and one year abroad, he has recently returned to his home state of Minnesota. "Since coming back, I have enjoyed the beautiful summer weather by going out for a run or a bike ride." He is also learning how to sail.
Fun fact: John moved to Australia for a year to travel, work, and explore the country. "The beaches were a notable highlight for me, and I also spent some time in Southeast Asia."
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