PrepNow Tutor - Peter B.
Throughout his career, Peter has tutored students individually and in small groups in reading, writing, study skills, executive functioning, and college readiness. He also has experience teaching in classrooms and helping students prepare for the SAT and ACT, with an emphasis on reading, writing, grammar, test-taking strategies, and overall college admissions readiness.
Peter has several degrees to his credit: a BA from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in geographic information science with a minor in Spanish studies; an MEd in secondary social science teaching and learning from DePaul University; and an MA in artificial intelligence and machine learning from Colorado State University Global. "Today, I am pursuing a PhD in value-creating education for global citizenship at DePaul University while continuing to work at the intersection of education, AI, research, and postsecondary student success," he shares.
Since graduating from the University of Minnesota, Peter has taught middle school, high school, and postsecondary students throughout Chicago. "My work has focused on social science, Spanish, college and career readiness, instructional technology, and helping students successfully transition to higher education, while also expanding my expertise through graduate study in education and artificial intelligence," he says.
Peter discovered his passion for teaching while working with students from diverse backgrounds and realizing how transformative education could be when it was personalized, challenging, and rooted in genuine relationships. Since then, he has taught middle school, high school, college, and adult learners across a variety of subjects while mentoring students through the college application process and beyond. Regarding math, he has taught elementary and middle school mathematics, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and quantitative reasoning; he emphasizes problem-solving strategies and foundational math skills.
Peter's proudest moment as an educator involved helping achieve a 100% college acceptance rate for his graduating seniors. "Watching students who once questioned whether they belonged in higher education gain the confidence to pursue college and new opportunities has been the most meaningful and rewarding part of my career," he says.
Peter describes his teaching style as student-centered, inquiry-driven, and highly individualized. "I believe the best learning occurs when students feel challenged, supported, and genuinely invested in their own growth," he posits. "Rather than simply delivering information, I focus on asking thoughtful questions, identifying misconceptions, and helping students develop the confidence and strategies to solve problems independently." He emphasizes critical thinking, curiosity, and metacognition so students learn not only what to think but also how to think. "As both an educator and AI researcher, I also believe education should prepare students to collaborate with emerging technologies while strengthening the uniquely human capacities of creativity, empathy, ethical reasoning, and lifelong learning," he proposes.
During college and graduate school, Peter studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he strengthened his Spanish language skills and deepened his understanding of Latin American culture. In graduate school, he also studied education, history, and culture in Cuba.
Outside of work, Peter enjoys traveling, learning languages, exploring new cultures, and staying current with emerging technology. "I am especially interested in artificial intelligence, consciousness, ethics, art and design, electronic music, and global social issues," he says. He also enjoys working out, biking along Chicago’s lakefront, exploring the city, and spending time with his Great Dane, Douglas.
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