About

Bio

My name is Nathaniel, but you can call me Tanny. I recently graduated with my PhD in math from UC San Diego and I love teaching any and all math subjects!

I was a TA throughout graduate school for eight different courses, including Calculus (all levels). I'm currently working as a Math Instructor at the AoPS Academy in San Diego (Carmel Valley), where I have worked with elementary, middle, and high school students.

I've gained extensive experience working with students of all levels. I know some students approach math with a lot of excitement, and some approach it with hesitancy. I enjoy being able to work with students where they're at to address their specific challenges. Teaching has also allowed me to develop my own class materials and problem sets, which I feel do a good job of challenging and engaging students.

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that it's best to learn math by doing it - not just by being shown how to do it. I like to respond to questions with questions and to ask students to really think for themselves and develop their own problem solving strategies. I aim to be supportive and patient while encouraging students to try hard and think deeply.

I spent the summer of 2025 at Art of Problem Solving writing proof-based problems for the national USA Math Talent Search competition (check out Round One, Problem 3 and Round Two, Problem 2 of the current contest to see an example of my work)! I loved participating in math competitions in high school and college, and I would love to share that passion with students interested in competition math.

I'm excited to help you on your math journey, whatever stage you're at!