PrepNow Tutor - Joshua W.
A proud lifelong resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a dedicated educator, Joshua loves learning with all his heart. He holds two degrees: a BA in humanities with a concentration in politics and global studies and a minor in international relations and economics from Regis College; and an MA in international relations from the University of Massachusetts Boston. During his graduate studies, Joshua served as a teaching assistant for two years. Since then, Joshua has obtained his teaching license for history and social studies from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for grades 5-12.
“I had tutored and helped my younger brother with homework since I was in undergrad, but my first professional teaching experience was as a teaching assistant at the University of Massachusetts Boston,” Joshua shares. “During that time, I worked with a diverse body of students, including international students and English language learners.” However, Joshua’s proudest moment was helping a young man with ADHD outline an essay for the American Politics class. “I was able to help him by verbally talking him through how he wanted to structure his essay step by step,” Joshua recalls. As a teaching assistant, Joshua primarily taught American politics courses, working with first-year college students. He also helped students prepare for their midterm and final exams by working one-on-one with them to improve their writing and reading skills.
Joshua’s teaching style is extremely adaptive and student-focused. “I focus heavily on working one-on-one with students to tailor lessons to their needs,” he explains. “Having been on an IEP myself through 11th grade, I understand that not all students learn the same, and that it is critical to build rapport with students and to learn how they learn.” This allows Joshua to take a general lesson plan and then tailor it for each student. “My philosophy is that a good teacher teaches skills and strategies rather than answers; it is important that students get the right answer, but it is most important to teach them how to find the right answer on their own.”
In high school, Joshua was the founder of the Dungeons and Dragons club and a member of the Mock Trial team. In college, he was on the dean’s list and received departmental honors in humanities. Joshua is an aspiring author, currently working on two manuscripts. He still runs Dungeons and Dragons campaigns for his younger brother and his friends, and he is a voracious reader. He has a cat named Ivy, who is six years old, cute, and has quite a temper. “The great passions of my life are: writing, history, international relations, and students.”
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