Students may have noticed the seemingly mysterious tutor consistently stationed in a third floor library study room. His name is Andy Hilnbrand, and he is an outside resource for Deerfield students who may need extra help with math, science, computer science, and economics classes. Self employed, Hilnbrand currently works with 20 students at Deerfield and has been doing so for about seven years.
His contribution at Deerfield, however, does little to capture his lifelong devotion to STEM education. Mr. Hilnbrand was a classroom teacher and the math and science head at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School. He tutored on the side before switching to tutoring full time. In college, he was a pure mathematics major at an engineering school. Later on, he got a full master’s degree in secondary math education.
Mr. Hilnbrand mentioned that he had “always wanted to be a teacher,” and continued to pursue his passion to be a math teacher at a performing arts high school. At the time he started his job at Deerfield, his role was brand new with no established department. He said that it was a difficult adjustment at first and that he had to “learn the hard way,” but nonetheless loved his time here. He found the moments where he was able to watch his math students perform outside of class the most special and said, “it opened up my eyes when I saw someone in class who was struggling at math, and then I could watch her dance and see her strengths that gave me an ‘in’ [on teaching] like ‘oh, wow,’ everyone has their gifts.” He points to this changed perspective as reasoning for making an effort to tie students’ interests into math in a way that captures their attention.
Assistant Academic Dean, Study Skills Coordinator, and Math Teacher Sheryl Koyama said, at Deerfield Academy “we have a whole menu of resources for our students.” She described the different academic resources as “layers” for students, each one fulfilling different yet equally significant needs. The first being Deerfield’s teachers, Ms. Koyama stressed the importance of communication between students and teachers.
The next “layer” of resources for students is the Peer Tutor program. Peer Tutors are stationed during school nights in the Village’s Crowe Common Room and the library. However, Ms. Koyama acknowledged the occasional need for a student to receive more personalized, one-on-one help, which is the main reason why Mr. Hilnbrand is such a valuable resource on campus. Ms. Koyama described one of Mr. Hilnbrand’s strengths as a tutor on campus to be that he is very aware of the Academy’s expectations for academic integrity.
In addition to Mr. Hilnbrand and the Peer Tutors, there are also other options for students in need of educational help. One resource free of cost is Testing Proctor & ELC Substitute Teacher Amanda Howe. Her connection with Deerfield proves valuable because she had three kids attend Deerfield Academy. Mrs. Howe focuses on time management and study skills, also called executive function skills. She is also strong in humanities, and is open to helping any students who reach out to her. Students may reach out by emailing ahowe@deerfield.edu.
Deerfield Academy offers a plethora of resources for its students. When looking for extra help in the STEM classes from an outside tutor such as Mr. Hilnbrand, students can receive financial aid through contacting Mrs. Koyama, or just connect with him directly through his email or website. Although on-campus resources such as Peer Tutors can be useful, outside help is also readily available.