Luke: Alexandria tutor

Certified Tutor

I was raised in London, England and graduated with honors from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom in 1995, majoring in Chemistry. I have been teaching high school and college Chemistry ever since; I shortly after graduating I joined Voluntary Service Overseas (1996-8) and I spent two years teaching Advance Placement (AP) Chemistry in a high school for gifted boys in rural Tanzania. On returning to the UK I spent two years teaching AP Chemistry in a private community college in London before joining a public high school. I taught courses equivalent to regular, honors and AP Chemistry in two different public high schools in London from 2001 2016, during which time I obtained a national teaching license (Science, Grades 6 12) and completed an MA in Education and International Development. I also secured several promotions, including to Assistant Principal in 2012. I served in this position for four years, continuing to teach Chemistry in addition to my administrative responsibilities.

In 2016 I left the UK in order to accompany my wife (who is a US citizen) on an overseas diplomatic posting to the US Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone. During our time there I worked as a visiting professor of Chemistry at the University of Sierra Leone, teaching the 1st and 2nd year undergraduate course. I also taught Chemistry in several local high schools, worked as an education consultant to various schools and NGOs, and wrote a complete lesson-by-lesson teaching guide to the West African Senior Secondary Chemistry course for use by teachers and students in the region. Following this posting we decided to move permanently to the United States and we have recently settled in the DC metro area. I am therefore seeking my first teaching position in the US; in the meantime I am volunteering at College Park Academy (Riverdale Park, MD) and as a coach for the Northern Gateway Soccer Club (Hyattsville, MD).

As a Chemistry teacher I have always been highly regarded both by my students and my fellow teachers and I have consistently delivered excellent results. I can also teach Physics as a second subject. I love being involved in high school extra-curricular life; I have worked as Student Voice coordinator, which included training and managing a student leadership team and organizing events for Black History Month. I have also worked as a soccer coach, participated in three school skiing trips, led a number of school camping and hiking trips and led two international student expeditions (to Argentina and Honduras). I have also taught a course in medical ethics and I am an enthusiastic linguist; I speak French and Swahili fluently and am proficient in both Latin and Greek.

As Assistant Principal at Paddington Academy, a public high school in a deprived part of central London, I was responsible for all aspects of Grades 11 and 12 including curriculum design, achievement, attainment, assessment, pastoral support, enrichment, discipline, progression, admissions and student voice. I led a team of six teaching and support staff. Under my leadership of Grades 11 - 12 there was a continuous improvement in high school leaving results as well as a continuous growth in student numbers.