I grew up in New York, graduated from The University of Michigan and, after spending several years in Manhattan and South Florida, moved to Chicago in January, 2009. Though my background is in finance, I have always enjoyed teaching. Back in high school, I tutored a student in the grade below me and then began helping other kids in the library during study hall.
After college, I was a market maker for a major trading firm in New York. Upon completing their training program, I spent two evenings a week co-teaching a mock training class for new hires. And here in Chicago, while working as a financial advisor and, subsequently, a mortgage loan officer, I have continued my desire to teach by tutoring students several nights a week. Initially, I taught in my spare time at a national tutoring firm, preparing 8th graders for their high school entrance exams. After immediately witnessing the positive impact my teaching style had on the children with whom I worked, I decided to leave the company and tutor on my own.
Now, I have more freedom, as far as the subject matter I teach and the methods I employ. While I still focus much of my attention on high school entrance exams, I am also able to help students in other areas, such as with their schoolwork in math and writing. This is the only job I’ve ever had that gives me a real sense of purpose; I really enjoy seeing the progress and improvement in my students’ capabilities from week to week.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy playing guitar, golf and backgammon (though none of them particularly well). I grew up playing a lot of sports and, since I cannot run a 4.4 40-yard dash, have parlayed that interest into a writing hobby. I’ve written dozens of articles that focus on statistical angles in sports; many of them have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Deadspin and elsewhere. I am currently part of a team that visits schools to conduct workshops, where we use an engaging trading simulation game to teach statistical concepts. And on a lighter note, if you’re ever looking to sharpen your mind a bit, I designed a more challenging version of Wordle, called Worder.ly.