PrepNow Tutor - Kathryn G.
Hailing from Liberia, West Africa, Kathryn describes herself as passionate, dedicated, and knowledgeable. She graduated with a bachelor’s in social work from University of Texas at Arlington. After spending the better part of a decade doing social work, she returned to university for a graduate degree. She attended Texas Wesleyan University and earned her master's in education in math and science.
Kathryn first became interested in teaching when she realized how many of her social work clients lacked basic education. This was her impetus to join an alternative certification program for her teaching certificate. She spent two decades teaching primarily mathematics and sciences to school children from first through twelfth grade. In those years, she also served as an instructional specialist and math coach.
Starting in 2010, Kathryn began teaching at the college level in addition to elementary, middle, and high school. Her favorite aspect of college teaching was working with student teachers and helping them find ways to reach all students. Kathryn has since transitioned back and forth between college classrooms and K-12—including a stint to familiarize herself with the post-covid shifts in K-12 classrooms. She has taught every mathematical subject from pre-algebra and developmental algebra to statistics and trigonometry. In total, she has racked up nearly three decades in the classroom.
“What I love about education is watching students blossom as they realize they can achieve more than they think they can,” Kathryn says. She believes that students come to her with preexisting knowledge and seeks to use that as a foundation moving forward. Her motto is to “let students ‘discover’ and then help build upon that discovery.” She emphasizes the need to understand the why rather than having students replicate what they are instructed to do. As Kathryn says, “all kids can learn, just not necessarily at the same rate.”
A consummate teacher, Kathryn also teaches Sunday school at her church where she specializes in working with special needs kids. She loves to play the piano and travel. Her favorite companions are her grandchildren and, of course, the dog. Kathryn aspires to return to her native land and live there intermittently—though even there she dreams about being part of the education system.
