PrepNow Tutor - William K.
Will has a total of 11 combined years of teaching, split between high school algebra (I and II), trigonometry, pre-calculus, and German. Having worked with hundreds of students, some of whom have learning differences, he takes a cool-headed, creative approach to teaching a variety of personalities. He emphasizes the importance of being a “nimble instructor, willing and able to quickly adapt to learning differences…that is my job…to adapt my teaching to the needs of each learner and to help each student achieve.”
Will graduated from Ohio State University, earning a BSEd specializing in foreign language education (German) and business marketing; he also has a German philosophy and mathematics degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany. Additionally, he completed a post-grad degree program in middle-grades math education and IT computer programming from Franklin University, which is in Columbus, Ohio.
He describes himself as “a life-long learner filled with curiosity” and touts his “interesting career history” as one of his greatest strengths. Upon graduating, he taught high school German before transitioning to IT, working as an analyst with major communication and consumer goods corporations. However, his heart led him back to teaching high school algebra (I and II), trigonometry, and calculus. After eleven years, he retired from teaching in the classroom and, in addition to tutoring, works as a business analyst for a healthcare company.
His experiences working in corporate America allow him to present tricky math concepts “in a very real-world way,” he posits. He’s a pro at making complex concepts understandable and attainable via creative, hands-on methods. “I made math, life!” he jests.
Will describes his approach as “relaxed and relatable.” He empathizes with students’ anxieties around expectations and perfection and aims to lower the stakes so deeper learning can take place sans nerves. “If I can create a relaxed atmosphere, the student is more receptive to input and learning,” he shares. School guidance counselors often steered special needs students into his classes because they appreciated his patient, grounded approach to math education.
While teaching in Germany, he received a Teacher of the Year award for increasing the enrollment in the German program at his school by twenty percent and bringing notoriety to the city. As a member of Cincinnati Scale Modelers (a chapter of International Plastic Modelers Society USA), Will won the "Webmaster of the Year" award in 2021 for having built the best club website.
Outside of work, he loves playing classical piano (especially Mozart and Chopin) and fine-scale model building. He has many trophies from award-winning models and was recently contracted to build nine aircraft models for permanent display at an aviation museum in Kentucky!
