I’m a evil genius certified teacher and tutor in Vancouver, Canada. I teach academic subjects, and sometimes blow things up on purpose by accident. Perhaps what makes me unique is that when I dress as a mad scientist, my friends tell me it's not a costume. Hope to see you in my classes, whether offline or online.
My parents made a decision when I was young that I regretted for all my years at home and now realize was a stroke of genius. I had a very early bedtime, but I could stay up an extra 30 minutes if I spent time reading. I have been a reader ever since.
I received a chemistry set when I was 10. Although I was probably much more creative with the chemistry experiments than the kit developers probably intended, I developed a lifelong interest in science that guides my life and influences my choices today.
If you could go back in time to Lansdowne School, Andrew Mynarski School or Sisler High School to see me as a student, you might not find what you would expect. I hated school and rarely lived up my expectations, especially once I made it to junior high school.
As a kid, I made rockets out of gunpowder and launched them out of my parents’ basement. I made smoke bombs out of potassium nitrate and icing sugar. I was blowing things up in the neighbourhood fairly constantly. I’m MUCH more careful now because I understand safety, legal liability and lawsuits. (I won’t teach your kids to do this.)
⌲ Making a watermelon explode
So why would a formerly underperforming student who hated school be a good choice for a teacher?
When I decided to become a teacher, my number one goal was to make learning as exciting as possible for my students. It’s still my number one goal.
I strive to meet students’ needs with a creative approach, humour, unusual ideas, and a variety of activities designed to meet my students’ needs.
If you look around my house, you’ll find evidence of tinkering with everything from cameras to games to engineering experiments.
I like to experiment with Virtual Reality. In VR you can actually learn 3D modelling by physically manipulating virtual objects around you. In this way, VR builds on students’ natural curiosity, inventiveness, and desire to create and work in practical ways. Next on the docket is Augmented Reality.
I started doing science demos at birthday parties, school events and on holidays (like Halloween). People often introduce me as a magician, but that’s because people sometimes equate science with magic.
Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I prefer to teach children how things work, than tricking them with magic.
Despite its reputation, online learning can be exciting. Especially when focus is placed on a hands-on element. Rather than force kids to read text on a screen, I design activities that are interactive.
Plus, if you haven’t seen how Virtual Reality can be used in education, let me show you. Individually and in groups, I tutor kids in VR: game design, 3D art, 3D modelling, and curating social hangouts. I’ve actually trained teachers and home learners in VR, in combination with the traditional tools like video calls.
