Michael MacInnes

I am a Bay Area native, and I received my BA in history and my MA in war and society at Chapman University in Orange, CA. 

For as long as I can remember, I have always been an avid lover of history, consuming books at an early age on everything from the Golden Age of Piracy, to the Inca, to the Second World War. I greatly enjoyed my history classes all throughout my primary and secondary education and somehow fell even deeper in love with history during university. I think many students yawn and roll their eyes at history, believing it to be rote—full of memorization of dates, places, and names. I hope to open students’ eyes to the real meat of history, which is full of amazing stories. I believe in teaching history where analysis trumps memorization, which in turn leads to conversations about where we all came from and how we got to where we are.

In the past, I taught Boy Scouts aged 10 to 18 everything from how to tie their shoes to survival skills. I helped scouts since I was a young Boy Scout myself up into adulthood. Since I was a scout, I knew how to communicate the information in a way that stuck with the scouts and how to get the attention of a large group of young boys. I quickly learned that patience is key. As an undergraduate, I tutored my fellow students. I assisted in helping students derive key information when sometimes the lecture only went over the broad strokes. Additionally, I aided students in developing strong research skills and in editing their papers, especially theses. As a graduate student, I assisted faculty in lectures, helping to teach students in the often understudied area of African history.

As a former IEP student and someone with a lifelong passion for teaching, I am a firm believer in the benefits of 1-on-1 education. The mentor-pupil relationship is so beneficial because it allows the mentor to tailor their tutoring style to what works best for the student and form a real bond. I know how frustrating it can be when things in class were covered too quickly or weren’t explained in a way that made sense. Tutoring allows me to collaborate with my students to produce a much better outcome.

Beyond history, I love music, video games, and the 49ers.