Matt Kim

Biography

I’ve lived in many parts of California: San Diego, Irvine, San Jose, and San Luis Obispo, where I graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. All throughout, I have always loved to learn, and my free time would often be spent on reading novels and learning how to program.

Teaching is intrinsically linked to learning, and so I have found as much enjoyment in teaching others as I have in learning something myself. My experience and passion for teaching comes from teaching fellow students during high school, tutoring peer-to-peer at my university, and the respect I hold for the teachers who have guided me in my own learning. Helping others with problems I’ve struggled with and nurturing curiosity in subjects I’m interested in are both fulfilling benefits that comes from teaching.

Learning is different for every student, so I believe teaching should similarly be personalized for each student. I always adapt my teaching style so that each student can truly internalize the material, and so they can find the learning itself enjoyable. I pride myself in finding out which methods or explanations help the student reach that critical moment of understanding. Oftentimes, the “textbook method” can be too general or complex, which is where 1-on-1 lessons can be beneficial. Whenever the new material is too daunting, I try to make connections with what the student already understands and whenever the material is too abstract, I look to ground it in a real-world context. No matter the subject, with the right foundations and perspectives, I believe any student can walk away feeling confident in their understanding.

Apart from teaching, I enjoy reading books (fantasy, sci-fi, history), biking, and playing/making games of all kinds.