PrepNow Tutor - Grace Y.
Grace has a versatile background teaching English, math, and test prep, both stateside and abroad. She graduated in 2022 from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) with a BA in interdisciplinary studies and a concentration in humanities. During this time, she tutored hundreds of students in test prep and obtained a certification to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); with this certificate, she taught online classes to students from all over the world. Her TESOL work certainly came in handy when she went to teach in Spain after graduation! Currently, she works full-time as a tutor and is studying to become a learning designer (in the field of instructional design or learning and development). She's excited to create e-learning courses and platforms to reach students who thrive with nontraditional formats!
Grace began working with students in 2015 when, as a high schooler, she attended an after-school learning center that focused on extra-curricular instruction; the center asked her to help them teach and she has never looked back! She has worked at two other tutoring centers (teaching English and math) since then.
Grace lets the student's needs dictate her approach. She starts by asking the student various illuminating questions to give her an idea of their processes. "Teaching is not only about knowing how to explain a concept to a student but it's also about checking a student's understanding through concept-checking questions," she offers. Grace frequently checks in to ensure her students are understanding, bit by bit, and encourages them to ask questions whenever they feel they need to. "Concept-checking questions help the teacher ascertain how much students understand because a student needs to actually demonstrate their understanding," she explains.
Grace's proudest academic achievement is her presentation at the NEIU annual Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium, where she presented her research centered on social ontology, a branch of contemporary philosophy.
In high school, Grace sang in the choir and ran cross country. Currently, her hobbies include creative writing and movies. She also reads extensively about literature and philosophy.
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