David Barton

My thirst for knowledge was awakened late in high school over the course of my first philosophy class. Authors posed arguments like players moving pieces across a chessboard: each movement required precise knowledge of those that came before and those that might come in the future. The small classroom setting kept me engaged and presented me with personalized challenges for the first time. I began to understand what learning and knowledge were all about, and how to direct my resources to get the most out of a particular class.

The conversations and debates in high school captivated me, and I ended up graduating from Occidental College with a degree in philosophy. The enthusiasm of my professors distilled and refined my passion for learning by allowing me to walk my own path of philosophically intense, but topically light, subjects, such as whether videogames should be considered an art form or whether time travel is possible.

Throughout my academic journey, I have learned that each individual requires a different approach. My strengths as a tutor revolve around my ability to break down concepts into parts, and then present them to students in a way that makes sense and is engaging. Standardized testing, in particular, interests me because the tests consist of a series of logic puzzles, which appeal to the philosopher in me. Working through an SAT word problem can be like playing Sudoku, and an ACT reading passage feels an awful lot like a word search. I enjoy formulating new and creative approaches to challenging puzzles and systems, and helping students prepare for the SAT and ACT allows me to share that passion.

Outside of AJ Tutoring, I enjoy reading and thinking about philosophy, playing basketball, and hiking. I once travelled around the country competing in the videogame “Starcraft 2,” and sometimes I still daydream of being a pro gamer.