Seals Academy Test Prep
Alison Seals, CPA
Founder, Lead Instructor
About Me
Hello and welcome! My name is Alison Seals and I am the founder and lead instructor at Seals Academy Test Prep. I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelors degree in Biology and a masters degree in Accounting. After graduating, I spent time working in public accounting and earning my CPA license before deciding to pursue my dream of becoming a full time educator. I now teach SAT Preparation as a semester-long, graded course at a local high school and work as a private tutor offering one-on-one sessions and small group classes. I have been providing SAT test prep services for 7 years, and look forward to working with students every day.
Central to my mission of success is to change the way my students view the SAT: rather than being a high-pressure test on which they must do well, I reframe the experience as an exciting opportunity for students to impress colleges with their outstanding scores. One of my primary aims is to develop confidence through upbeat motivation and positive reinforcement, and I will stop at nothing to ensure that each and every one of my students receives a uniquely catered, highly-effective learning experience.
Two-Step Approach: Identifying What, Knowing How
In my years of experience teaching students, I have learned a great deal from them. I have focused much of my efforts toward the practice of observing students with the goal of understanding what it is that allows them to think critically about a question and independently arrive at the correct answer.
One observation that appeared time and time again is this; there are many students who can read a test question and easily understand what needs to be done (what formula needs to be used, what grammar rule needs to be applied) and they simply need help in learning and applying the steps. The other group of students are those who have no trouble retrieving a formula or rule from their memory and applying it, but upon reading a question, they struggle to determine which formula or rule the question is prompting them to use. As a result, they struggle to put their knowledge to use in the context of individual questions.
This brought me to the conclusion that lead to the development of my Two Step Approach: Identifying What, Knowing How; In order to succeed, students must be taught the two critical steps involved in solving every problem: The first is identifying what needs to be done, and the second is knowing how to execute the necessary steps. These are distinct but equally critical steps, and mastering both is the key to success.