Teacher of the Month⼁Introducing Alina S.
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 pleased to celebrate Alina, whose imaginative teaching inspires thought provoking discussions and laughter-filled writing activities.
Alina (she/her/hers) graduated summa cum laude from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in English and creative writing. An award-winning author of five books and a TEDx speaker, she is also a member of the South Bay Tutors and Educational Therapists Network and the National Tutoring Association. She taught middle and high school English at a 1:1 school, working with a range of learners and tailoring instruction to meet their needs. In addition, she has created individualized classes for homeschool students and has privately tutored students from second grade through college. Since 2011, Alina has specialized in teaching essay and story writing, critical reading, grammar, language-based test prep (e.g. SAT reading/writing, AP essays), college admissions essays, and study skills. Alina believes in being an encouraging mentor as well as a teacher, and she sees the potential of every student to achieve their goals. With PacPrep, Alina teaches all levels of English. When Alina isn’t teaching, she might be found hiking, cooking, working on her next book, or feeding vegetables to her dog, Hamlet.
What’s your favorite subject to teach and why?
My area of expertise is English/Language Arts, but I’ve taught and tutored pretty much any subject that involves writing. I especially love to teach creative writing, since I’m an author as well as a teacher and have experienced the creative process firsthand! I love watching students tap into their imaginations, take risks, and see what they can dream up.
What do you enjoy most about teaching with Pacific Preparatory?
I really, really love the 1:1 model at Pacific Preparatory. An individual student/teacher pairing means we lose no time to group management. Every single class is all about the student’s learning. I also love the opportunity I have to connect with every one of my students as a person, learning about their interests and providing customized material that sparks their curiosity. As a lifelong learner myself, it’s my favorite thing to see students catch that hunger for learning.
What is your favorite activity to do outside of teaching?
When I’m not teaching, I love to travel! I recently had the amazing opportunity to visit New Zealand, which has been my fantasy destination since I was a teenager obsessed with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seeing hobbit holes in real life was a dream come true!
Alina, we and your students are so lucky to have you on our team! Congratulations on being our Teacher of the Month!