Christian Zuniega

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in Walnut, California, I have focused a majority of my life and studies towards math education. After graduating high school with multiple AP’s and an International Baccalaureate Degree, I moved to the Bay Area in order to attend UC Berkeley. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics with a focus on math pedagogy and a minor in computer science. I later accomplished a full-time teaching residency through NYU Steinhardt and earned my master’s degree in secondary teaching. Throughout my education, mathematics has amazed and astounded me with its applications and connections.

In my math career, I have had the privilege of being able to teach and tutor in diverse circumstances. Straight out of undergrad, I was able to work for the Blueprint Schools Math Fellowship, which allowed me to teach math to groups of 4 to 6 middle school students. However, due to understaffing and the trust I built up in the company, I had the opportunity to teach groups of 7 to 12 students. I moved onto my NYU teaching residency, where I started as a teaching assistant with my mentor teacher at Visitacion Valley Middle School. By the end of my one-year residency, I had the responsibility of an entire class of 40+ students. After receiving my degree, I taught at San Francisco International High School. Throughout my career, I have been able to teach both in person and virtually with a range of learners from a variety of backgrounds. My experiences have shaped everything from how I teach core curriculum to how I teach test-taking strategies and mindsets.

My passion for math education has been cultivated throughout my entire life. Growing up, I often heard the many misgivings about math, such as “Math is not relevant to my life” and “Math is too hard and I am too stupid to understand it.” I have always believed that math is a beautiful, interconnected language that has applications in all aspects of life and reality. Math is so relevant and has so many pathways for entry that I believe that every student is capable of being successful at math. At AJ Tutoring, I also enjoy coaching students on their standardized tests, covering test taking strategies for math and English and developing their confidence in their own approach and skills.

As people are diverse, each student has a unique perspective on their education. I find that 1-on-1 tutoring allows me to connect and understand my students at a deeper level, allowing me to shape content better to suit their specific needs. As a tutor, it is my responsibility to understand my students’ current understanding and viewpoint in order to build their knowledge with methods that they find challenging, yet manageable. I employ many methods from my repertoire in order to make content comprehensible to my students, such as the visualizations of math problems in order to make them concrete and the rephrasing of reading passages to induce retention.

My hobbies include binge watching shows (especially competition shows or game shows), playing the guitar, enjoying escape rooms, and cooking to try out different recipes.