PrepNow Tutor - Rex B.
A lifelong educator and learner, Rex started teaching because he loves science and wanted to help others enjoy it as much as he did. He holds a BS in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MEd from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating, Rex trained as an aerospace engineer and then taught high school science with integrated math for six years, and worked in informal education for over ten years, primarily running STEM programs for museums. In addition to tutoring test prep, Rex is currently an independent consultant for non-profit organizations.
“I went into teaching after graduating from college because I found that I really enjoyed helping people understand complex ideas, from my time as a teaching assistant in engineering at MIT,” Rex shares. Rex’s proudest moment as a teacher was having the school yearbook dedicated to him after his fifth year teaching, an honor voted on by the senior class. As a high school science and math teacher, Rex taught physical science, physics, algebra 2, trigonometry, calculus, and SAT prep.
Rex’s approach to teaching and tutoring is student-centered. “I start lessons by trying to learn what students' goals are and what background knowledge they bring,” Rex explains. “I see myself as a facilitator of a student's learning, challenging them just beyond what they are capable of so they can grow.” As a teacher, Rex is passionate about STEM learning and loves to guide his students to go beyond what they think is possible for themselves, both in terms of goals and mastery.
As a student, Rex participated in theater, the school magazine, and soccer. He worked on NASA's Space Shuttle as part of an internship with Martin Marietta and was the recipient of the Heiko Haskamp Fund Fellowship. He enjoys photography, astronomy, running, and volunteering at the Adler Planetarium to facilitate telescope observations. “I am an immigrant from the Philippines, grew up in Virginia, and have called Chicago home for almost twenty-five years,” Rex shares. Rex appeared on Jeopardy! in 2005 (and won twice) and has run ten marathons.
