Tutor of the Week: Alexandra H. — Barnard College
Learn about one of our incredible tutors, Alexandra H.!
Alexandra is an instructor at GoPeer. Alexandra is currently pursuing a major in Theatre at Barnard College.
When did you know you wanted to study theatre?
I’ve always really loved working with others. Even when I was little, I had really big ideas about how stories should be told, so when I started participating in theater in school as an actor, I bug the teacher with thoughts and ideas from a more directorial standpoint. I didn’t know that was a job people could have, but when I found out, I was like “I want to do that!” I love being at the center of things and working with different kinds of people to make something collaboratively. This really flows into every aspect of my life, like teaching or even spending time with friends. I love to plan and be in the middle of the action.
What is your favorite thing about Barnard?
I work in the admissions office at Barnard, so I am really familiar with this question! The answer changes all the time because there are so many things I love about it. Something really special about Barnard is the ability to cherry-pick what college experience you want to have. We’re partnered with Columbia University, so we have access to incredible resources only available at a large research university, as well as being a small liberal arts college with a really close sense of community. We’re also located in Manhattan in the city of New York, so we have this close-knit campus community that exists within a larger city.
Why do you think teaching online is beneficial?
It’s really great to be able to connect with students that can really benefit from what you bring to the table as a teacher, even if you aren’t physically located near to each other. And of course, right now, this is really the only option a lot of students have. I’m really glad I can bring one-on-one attention to students who might not be receiving that as much as they normally do in the classroom.
What are some of your teaching principles or strategies?
I really like to teach from a place of positivity. One of my favorite things to say is “that was a really smart mistake.” It helps students to understand what went wrong, in order to understand how to do it right, and using positive reinforcement keeps them motivated and excited to learn. I don’t want students to feel afraid to try in case they get it wrong — that’s a way to practice so they don’t repeat mistakes.
What do you think is most unique about GoPeer?
The fact that this is a platform run by recent college grads makes it a lot more friendly to current college students who are just as able to be excellent tutors as those who are a little older, but may be passed over for someone with more experience.
Any advice for students or parents who are interested in GoPeer?
Be really specific about what your goals are with your tutor. Do you have certain assignments you want to work on together? Do you want to improve in a specific class? What exact skills are you looking to sharpen? If you can tell your tutor precisely what it is you want to improve, you will be able to move a lot faster and your tutor can curate your lessons to your or your student’s needs.
What do you do outside of teaching with GoPeer?
I mentioned my job in admissions. I was recently promoted from the Barnard Student Admissions Representative (BSAR) to Head BSAR. This means that on top of working in a front-facing capacity as a virtual tour guide, interfacing with applicants as they have questions or want to learn more, I am also training all of our tour guides for the virtual platform, and in the spring I will be hiring new ones. I’m really interested in college admissions, and I’ve worked with students before on high school and college applications, so if you have any questions about how that works or want help on your application, I am happy to help!
Alexandra offers free first lessons. View Alexandra’s GoPeer Tutoring Profile to learn more about her qualifications & teaching experience.
