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Teacher Biographies

Summer 2013

English

Mr. M. S. has received a bachelor's degree and Master’s degree in English from Rice University. Since 1998 he has worked at one of Houston's most prestigious private schools, teaching various levels of high-school English, serving as an Admissions Committee member.
He will teach: 9-10th grade PSAT Verbal and 10-12th grade SAT/ACT Verbal.  

Mr. J. S. This summer Mr. J. S. begins his thirty-second year as an English teacher. After tenure as English Teacher and Department Chair at the Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut, in 1990 he moved with his wife, Nina, to Houston, where J worked for seventeen years as an English teacher and college counselor at St. John’s School. He has been teaching at Advance Academy since its inception in 2005, leading language arts classes for middle and high school students and SAT review courses.
He will teach: 7-9th grade Reading & Vocabulary Navigator; 7-9th grade Sharpening Writing & Grammar Skills; 7-9th grade Words, Phrases and Clauses; Grammar Exercise; 10-12th grade Advanced Critical Reading & Analytical Writing; 10-12^th grade College Applications Process and Personal Essay Writing. 

Ms. A. N. has been an accomplished English teacher for twenty years. She has helped two school districts significantly raise their standardized writing scores by showing students special techniques that make their writing appealing to professionals. She has also mentored over twenty students who went on to win prestigious recognition in writing including keys in the Scholastic Writing Competition and national publication in sources like Cicada and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul.  Ms. N. is one of the co-founders of the Houston Women Writers Cooperative and the sponsor for Kerr High School’s student writing organization: The Writers’ Table. She has been a participant in the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, Houston’s Monday Night Writers, and the Algonkian Writing Workshop.
She will teach: 8-11th grade   Creative Writing for Scholarship and Competitions; 9-11th grade  Literary Analysis and Advanced Vocabulary; 9-11th grade  Success In Writing and Grammar

Ms. Y. W. is an exceptional middle school teacher with twenty-four years of experience. With a Master degree in education, she has taught grades six through eight AP/GT English. She has an outstanding record of successfully meeting the needs of the students, organizing instructional programs and promoting community activities. As a life-time learner, she attends workshops and trainings frequently to stay current with teaching strategies and sharpen her teaching skills.
She will teach: 6th grade Reading/Vocabulary and Writing/Grammar.

Mrs. M. K. has twenty years experience in HISD at the elementary level. She is certified through 6th grade and has specialized in teaching English. Mrs. K. also has her gifted and talented certification. All past years she has met exemplary status on all state required tests given to her students. She has a B.S in psychology from Texas Tech University and some mastery education coursework at St. Thomas University.
She will teach: 5th grade Reading/Vocabulary and Writing/Grammar.

Ms. S. B. is an exceptional magnet elementary school teacher with ten years teaching experience. She has been certified to teach Gifted and Talented (GT) students from grades Second – Fifth. She is also the lead teacher in the fifth grade. She has an outstanding record for leading her GT students to obtain success.
She will teach: 4th grade Reading/Vocabulary and Writing/Grammar. 

Ms. R. H. is an exceptional teacher with thirty years experience. She has been voted teacher of the Year at her school twice consecutively, a fact which speaks to her reputation as a motivator and her exceptional skills as a catalyst of higher level students. She has experience teaching Kindergarten through fifth Grade and has been a mentor for many new teachers. This teacher is certified to teach students whose first language is not English and has an outstanding record for successfully meeting the needs of the students. Currently she is working with Gifted and Talented third grade students in the Vanguard Program. She will be teaching the second grade and third grade classes this spring.
She will teach: 3rd grade English Enrichment and challenge math.

Mrs. H. L. has a Master of Science Teaching degree from Rice University. She is currently a Science Teacher for grades K-12 at Preparatory School and a Teacher Assistant at Rice University. She also teaches in Physics, Astronomy, and Thinking Skills. Over the past 12 years, Mrs. L. has taught Science, Math, and Computer Skills to grades 3-10; taught Social studies to grades 4-6; She was a Science and Technology Coordinator for grades 3-6. She will teach: 3-6th grade Afternoon Camp classes.

Mr. K. H, a graduate of Rice University, Mr. H brings extensive tutoring and teaching experience along with deep knowledge of the SAT and all its variants. Mr. H was one of the few perfect 2400-scorers on the SAT and he gives students an intuitive, analytical approach to attacking the tests. In particular, many students have improved their writing abilities due to Mr. H’s detailed attention to essay composition and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each student.
He will teach: 7th grade Duke TIP Verbal and 10-12th grade SAT/ACT Verbal.

Foreign Languages

Spanish

Mrs. M. M. teaches MS and HS Spanish since 1989. Mrs. M received her BA in Art of Education. She taught MS and HS Spanish for ten years at Georgia. After relocating to Katy, TX, she taught introductory and intermediate level Spanish courses.
She will teach: 6-8th grade Spanish Beginner and 9-12th Spanish Intermediate.

New Chinese Program

Advance Academy proudly introduces a brand new Chinese program called NIHAOMA in the spring. NIHAOMA Chinese is an educational institution specializing in teaching Chinese language and culture to children.  There are more than 12 schools/centers that are currently offering Nihaoma Chinese programs and the list keeps expanding. 

Advance Academy’s NIHAOMA program director, Ms. Jiayao Pang has 18 years of Chinese teaching experience from elementary to college levels in Europe and in the U.S. She has a B.A. degree in Chinese Language and Literature, and a M.A. in Educational Psychology. In both 2009 and 2010, Ms. Pang was presented with “Outstanding Achievement Award” by the Consulate-General of China in Houston. She is also a columnist for the leading magazine of learning Chinese in North America “Learn Chinese Language and Culture”.

Nihaoma Chinese classes will be offered for two different levels – Beginner and Intermediate.

Math

Mr. M. W. received a bachelor's degree and Master’s degree in Mathematics from Rice University. Since 1998 he has worked at one of Houston's most prestigious private schools, teaching all IB level high-school Math such as IB Pre-Calculus and IB Calculus and Geometry Problem Solving, and serving as the chairman of the math department. Mr. M as a lead teacher has taught at Rice University Summer Schools for Students in grade 8-12 for twenty-four years.
He will teach: 9-12th grade Extreme Geology, Statistics/Probability and Trigonometry.  

Ms. V. S. is a very popular teacher with our students. She consistently shares her passion and understanding of students as well as her great competence as a catalyst of learning excitement in mathematics. She brings 40 years of teaching experience and was given the honor of Best Mathematics Teacher by HISD twice. She specializes in grades four, five, and six.
She will teach: 4-6th grade Challenge Math, and Word Problem Solving (Brain Fitness).  

Mr. D. S. has coached many successful teams in academic competitions including MathCounts and Academic Decathlon. In particular, he coached the Sartartia Middle School MathCounts team which won the 2004 Texas State Championship. His teams are consistently ranked among the Top 10 teams in the state of Texas.

In addition to being an accomplished specialized coach, he has taught in Fort Bend ISD for over twenty years and served as Math Department Chair at Garcia M.S. The students which he taught in Fort Bend ISD comprised 70% of the 2011 freshman class at the Dulles Math and Science Academy. Mr. D.S. has presented his teaching thoughts and ideas with other math professionals at conferences for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT), and the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented (TAGT).

Mr. S.’s goal to have his students better prepared than any others in the district. His favorite part of teaching is seeing the joy of understanding on the face of a student who finally “gets it” after struggling with a difficult math concept.
He will teach: 7th grade Contest Math Word Problem Solving and 8-9th grade Contest Math AMC 8.

Mr. A. J. has been working as an AP Calculus instructor at Madison High School of Meteorology and Space Science for the last ten years. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration (International Business).  He spent seven years working with leading automotive companies as a Project Engineer.

Mr. J has vast experience in teaching AP Calculus, Engineering, Statistics, SAT, ACT, Geometry, Algebra II and Pre-Calculus.  He has a dynamic teaching style and a very high success rate. He connects Mathematics and Sciences to Engineering to promote students towards Science and Technology. He has taken the role of an Educational Consultant with a strong background in Engineering. He has done numerous Research Engineering projects at Texas A & M University and Penn State University. He has worked on Shape Memory Alloys titled “How to build a Stiquito Making a truly autonomous Robot”. Silver Nano particles titled “Synthesis of Silver Nano particles” at The Penn State Center for Nano scale Science, Penn State University. “Carbon Nanotube-Epoxy Composites” at Aerospace Engineering, Texas A & M University.
He will teach: 9-12th grade Pre Calculus, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Trigonometry, and Geometry. 

Mrs. M. W. has a B.S. in Business and an M.S. in Mathematics. She has taught middle school and high school math and PSAT/SAT preparation for more than 15 years at some of the finest schools in Houston.  
She will teach: 8-10th grade PSAT Math, 10-12th grade SAT Math; Sunday: 8-9th Grade Algebra I.

Ms. R. B. is a returning instructor from Summer Session I & II where she taught Pre-Algebra and Geometry.  She instilled the core content areas that are crucial toward building the foundation of critical thinking and analytical skills. 

Ms. B. has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Mathematics.  She spent ten years working with network and software development at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  Upon her move to Houston, she was presented with the opportunity to pass on her real life experiences in the classroom through teaching 7th & 8th grade mathematics, Geometry, Algebra II and Pre-Calculus.  With a high success rate and enthusiastic teaching style she has taken her profession to the next level as an educational consultant of all secondary mathematical content areas. She will teach: 7th grade Duke TIP Math and Pre-Algebra, 9th grade Geometry and 8-9th grade Contest Math AMC 8.

Mr. B. O. is an enthusiastic and dedicated math instructor with over twenty-six years of teaching experience. He always seeks to bring the best out of his students and was also Distinguished Educator by Spring ISD in Texas for seven consecutive years (2007 through 2013). Mr. Bruno is reliable and sensitive to the needs of individual students and builds a strong foundation of education through good rapport with students, parents, and colleagues. In addition, he was a finalist for the NASA Educator Astronaut Selection.
He will teach: 10-11th Grade Algebra II.

Speech & Debate.

Mr. J. S. is a returning instructor from Summer 2012. The first thing Mr. Joseph’s students will notice is the detailed feedback and attention he gives to each student and the collaborative approach he uses to help students gain confidence in speaking and constructing ideas. A business and political science graduate of Houston Baptist University, Mr. Joseph has many years of high school speech teaching experience and has competed in forensics at both the high school and collegiate level. Earning national recognition from his league, he was also the co-captain of his college mock trial team and garnered a number of awards from the American Mock Trial Association.
He will teach: 6-8th grade Speech, 9-12th grade Speech & Debate and Entrepreneurship and Money Management.

Science

Ms. P. A. has a B.S and M.S. from Morehead University and has been teaching for twenty-five years. Her teaching experience includes AP Biology and ESL Biology in public schools, and for the past eighteen years she has been teaching Honors Biology and Scientific Research and Design at St. John’s School. She also has two years of research experience in pathology at the University of Texas Medical School. P. A. incorporates many study skills and study tools into her teaching with the goal of helping her students develop a strong foundation and a love of science.
She will teach: 9-10th grade Pre-AP Biology and 11-12th grade AP Biology. 

Mrs. S. J. holds a Ph.D., member of the upper school faculty at St. John’s School since 2003, has taught chemistry for seventeen years. Prior to St. John’s School, she taught Chemistry I Honors and Chemistry II AP at Austin High School in Fort Bend ISD. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Biochemistry, Master’s in Education Administration in 1995 from Southwest Texas State University and a Doctorate in Professional Leadership in 2011 from the University of Houston. During her tenure at St. John’s School she has been the recipient of M. D. Anderson Chair in Science and has taught Regular Chemistry and Honor’s Chemistry at Rice Summer Camp for many years.
She will teach: 10th grade Pre-AP Chemistry and 11-12th grade AP Chemistry. 

Mr. R. S. has received a Master of Education degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Science degree in Range Management from Texas Tech University. He has 25 years experience teaching science with most of those years teaching biology. He currently teaches AP/GT Biology and PreAP/GT Biology.
He will teach AP Biology and PreAP Biology.

Mr. G. A. has more than twenty-five years of science teaching experience from sixth through twelfth grade.  He has a master’s degree in Science from Rice University. He currently works for a prestigious college prep high school as a Physics, Chemistry and Math teacher. He has taught Pre-AP Physics, AP Physics and Chemistry.
He will teach: 11-12th grade Pre AP Physics and AP Physics. 

Ms. R. M. has been teaching science for 19 years. Eighteen of those have been in the high school level and one year at the intermediate level. She has taught IPC, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science and Geology, Meteorology and Oceanography. She currently teaches Chemistry and Environmental Science. She uses technology in class and incorporates hands-on activities to teach some concepts.
She will teach: 7-9th grade Forensic Science and 6-9th grade Middle/High School Science.

Ms. H. S. holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the nationally top-ranked program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has five years of teaching experience at the collegiate and graduate levels in the courses of control systems, signal processing, microprocessor experiments, stochastic processes, optimization, and game theory.
She will teach: 6-9^th grade Robotics Design and Engineering.

Fine Arts

Ms. L. B. holds a B.S. of Art Education and M.S. of Education and has been teaching for thirty-three years. She is an art instructor and consultant with passion at the Kolter Elementary. Ms. B. has served on numerous art boards in Houston, including Houston Area Art Education Association, Southwestern Toastmasters, and Texas Art Education Association. In addition, she has many professional accomplishments including Best of Show HLRS 2011, 2001, 1990, Texas Commerce Bank Student Show, and University of Houston Exhibitions.
She will teach: 3-4th grade and 5-6th grade Painting and Collage. 

Ms. Y. W. holds a B.S. of Fine Arts in Interior Design and has been teaching for eleven years. She had worked in the industry of Interior Design as an Art Director and Architect for many years. In addition, she has received many awards and recognition including Paperboard Packaging Council 32nd Annual Competition - Silver 1975 Best of the North Bonnie Award – Gold. Ms. W. is also an active volunteer to the community.
She will teach: 6-12th grade Visual Arts Design.

Social Studies

Mr. T. M.’s extensive knowledge of human history spans the eras and bridges cultures. With twenty years experience teaching U.S. and World History, he shows students the deep connections between world affairs and pushes them to answer hard, meaningful questions about society and humanity. He is a B.S. in History and Political Science and received his Masters degree in Education. In addition to serving as a principal teacher and assistant superintendent for several years, Mr. M. is also a consultant for ITACP (Teacher Certification Program).
He will teach: 7-11th grade US History and 9-11 AP World History. He will also teach 3-6th grade Social Study.
　

Physical Education

Mr. J. H. has more than six years experience teaching/coaching chess. Mr. H. is a chess Master and he was 1996 Texas Junior Chess Champion.  In addition he has coached State and National Champions for the past years.
He will teach: 7-11th grade Chess Strategy and Tactics. And 3-6th grade Chess for Beginner.

Mr.  Philip Kampf is a professional magician. For over 28 years, The Magical Fun & Comedy of Philip Kampf has touched both the corporate and private sectors, making him Houston’s #1 choice for professional magical entertainment. From a corporate show to a child’s birthday party, Philip has made every even a first-class happening. He also conducts group magic lesions for the young and old who are really eager to learn. www.mrphilsmagicforkids.com
He will teach: 3-6th grade Be a Magician. 

Shaolin Kung Fu Academy has been instructing students in martial arts since 1998. The academy features classes in Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Lion Dance. Whether students want to learn self-defense or are just looking to get in shape, the Academy offers a wide range of classes for both children and adults so there’s sure to be something just for you. The martial arts training will keep the body in a state of optimal health resulting in enhanced longevity and increased levels of energy.  The goal  of the class is to have the relationship between teachers and students be one of compassion and patience that will inspire those around us. www.houstonshaolin.com
The Academy will teach: 3-6th grade Martial Arts.

Ms. Yawei Li, a 2007 Chinese provincial champion, has over 20 years of experience on the professional table tennis circuit. Since moving to Houston, Ms. Li has coached several area teams and also many ranked players.
She will teach: 3-6th grade Table Tennis.

Mr. T. H. has coached middle school basketball and general physical education for more than 10 years in Houston. His positive attitude and genial manner touch the lives of all the students that he works with and he excels at fostering team spirit, good technique, and responsible character.
He will teach: 3-6th grade Basketball.