PrepNow Tutor - Brian P.
A relaxed and passionate tutor, Brian is always there for his friends and family and is known for his patience and dry sense of humor. He earned his BA in film studies from Columbia University, where he was on the Dean's List for five semesters. After college, Brian worked in development for a major film studio, taught high school English and history for a year, and tutored test prep. Currently, alongside tutoring, Brian is the senior story editor at an independent production company. Brian has also worked on a number of film projects as a screenwriter and one of his screenplays was a quarter-finalist for the Nicholl Fellowship given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
When asked what he loves about tutoring, Brian says, "I like the one-on-one interaction, seeing a student get past mental barriers and gain the confidence to access the skills and knowledge they already have."
Throughout high school and college, Brian tutored friends and relatives. His first paid tutoring job was after college, working with a dyslexic student. He has now taught SAT Math for three years, working with over sixty students, with many of his students seeing significant increases. In addition to tutoring, Brian has taught 8th grade U.S. history, 9th grade English and writing, and 11th grade English.
"With test prep tutoring, I think the first step is to form a rapport with the student so that they feel comfortable with the process. Being confident in the program and optimistic about the progress we will make together should then make it easier to absorb the content," Brian says. Once the rapport is established and they're in the thick of the lesson, Brian gives his students the time to find the answers themselves, asking questions that will lead them to focus on key concepts.
"If students become skilled at recognizing patterns in the way the problems are formulated, they will begin to feel mastery over what can be an intimidating test," Brian says. "Approaching the test strategically, and being able to categorize questions and tackle them with confidence and clarity, results in significant score gains."
In high school, Brian participated in band, newspaper, and yearbook and, in college, he was in the filmmaking club. He enjoys swimming, writing, movies, indie rock music, and working on his classic car. "I see every film that receives a wide release, even the bad ones," Brian says. "I can identify almost any film from seeing five seconds of footage." Brian collects a number of items, from vinyl records to vintage sneakers to robot model kits. He drinks a tang milkshake every day.
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