Christopher

Certified Tutor

I am a UBC Vancouver Graduate, Bachelor of Arts, and possess an IB diploma from the United World Colleges Pearson College of the Pacific, and a veteran Engineers Without Borders Youth Venture Co-Lead. My passion for helping students began with my own classmates from junior to senior high school in Jasper Alberta, as after I had finished my own work, I busied myself by helping my classmates with their work upon their express request. Additionally, several students reached out to have me tutor them outside of school hours. In these interactions I began to develop my tutoring style, while my classmates simply demanded that I told them the answers, I discovered the difference between knowing and learning; it was far more rewarding to be the one to guide them to the answers themselves.
When I attended the IB Pearson College of the Pacific in my later years of high school, the student diversity opened my eyes further to the disparities in education and the need to be patient with all kinds of people. Additionally, it also sparked my joy in learning new languages. Much of my classroom experience has taken the form of being a presenter and group leader for the Engineers Without Borders Youth Venture Co-Lead at UBC Vancouver. This experience enabled me to develop skills for the middle and high school student audiences and for the university student presenters. While we developed critical thinking skills in the middle school and junior high school students, I also emphasized the need to hone the presentation and public speaking skills in the group.
These experiences led me to my tutoring philosophy, which is that education is not about knowing the right answer all the time, but being able to help develop skills in students so that they can interrogate the world around them. I specialize in Anthropology, English, and History. I thoroughly enjoy anthropology, as it is a means for people to investigate the truest question of "Why do people do what they do?", and to develop understandings of the unique differences and stark similarities between all human beings.
I am working towards my application for a degree in education, and I am grateful for this opportunity to develop more classroom experience with Varsity Tutors. I would describe my tutoring style as an amalgamation of discussion, inquiry, and instruction. I do firmly believe that any tutoring relationship should be a combined effort between tutor and student to conquer goals and achieve understanding.
Outside of academics, I am a fan of music, as I play the Guitar, Tenor Saxophone and Banjo. I enjoy nature walks, learning new languages, and creative writing.