Teacher of the Month⼁Introducing Julian K-M
At Pacific Preparatory, we are so lucky to work with the most thoughtful and inspiring instructors, all who bring lessons to life with engaging connections to student interests and their community. This month, we are excited to celebrate Julian, whose expert customization pulls upon students’ curiosities and interests to drive academic growth and learning.
Julian (he/him/his) graduated from Carleton College with a bachelor's degree in music. Before beginning his teaching career, he worked for two years as a tutor at Cardinal Education, coaching students in writing, test prep, math, music, as well as assisting them with their college applications. This gave him a foundation and passion for teaching where he then worked for three years as a core subjects teacher at Hillside School, a private residential middle school in Massachusetts, where he also served as a dorm parent and a cross-country coach. At this school, Julian gained extensive experience working closely with students with learning differences and supporting executive functioning skills. Julian’s greatest strength is his flexibility to adapt and differentiate curriculum to each student's unique needs, including supporting students in reaching beyond their goals. Julian's approach to designing his instruction centers on leveraging students' strengths to continuously build student mastery. He has been working with students since 2009, teaching English, history, math, and custom electives. When Julian isn't teaching, he can be found hiking, road tripping, or bowling.
What’s your favorite subject to teach and why?
I love teaching math, especially Algebra. It’s like a language, and it’s always fascinating to see how different students organize their thoughts and communicate differently with it. I also enjoy that it’s an activity you can do together; there’s a teamwork element to it in a 1:1 online setting unlike with any other subject. Most of all, as a teacher, there’s nothing quite like witnessing students arriving at those “Aha!” moments, when a concept really clicks and it all comes together.
What do you enjoy most about teaching with Pacific Preparatory?
I’ve loved the range of students I’ve been able to work with as a teacher at Pacific Preparatory and as a tutor with Tutor Corps. My first classroom experience was teaching History at a boys’ boarding middle school, so since then I’ve greatly enjoyed the experience of covering a wide range of subject areas with a wide array of students in Elementary, Middle, and High School. It’s been very rewarding to develop content and routines tailored to students’ individual needs. Giving kids a chance to shine in their areas of strength while having the room to constructively target their areas of growth is perfectly suited to the 1:1 setting. Lastly, the leadership team at Pacific Preparatory has been relentlessly supportive, creating and maintaining a conducive environment for teachers to hone their skills and evolve as educators.
What is your favorite activity to do outside of teaching?
I love hiking, and take every opportunity I can to hit the trail whether it’s February, June, or October. I spent the past 5 or so years hiking all 67 of the 4000+ footers in New England and would love the opportunity to do more hiking on the West Coast, especially the John Muir Trail and the Cascades in Oregon. The longest backpacking trip I've done was 3 weeks on the Long Trail in Vermont, but someday I hope to do the big 3 major US trails: the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail.
Julian, we and your students are so lucky to have you on our team! Congratulations on being our Teacher of the Month!