Daniela Manopla

Daniela has been teaching for as long as she can remember. From volunteering at an Institute for Math and Computer Science in middle school to peer-tutoring calculus in high school, she has always loved helping students find academic success. A native South Floridian, she braved the snow (which she had never seen growing up and still dreads to this day) to attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Later, she braved the rain (to which she is infinitely more accustomed) to earn a master’s degree in Political Science at the London School of Economics, where she concurrently entered into the world of standardized test preparation.

Since that time, Daniela has had years of wonderful experiences in both tutoring and learning from her students at PrepMatters, in addition to having the honor of working with students from a variety of countries and academic backgrounds. Daniela firmly believes that test prep can be fun(!) and that regardless of where the starting point may be, each student has the capacity to forge a path to their own success and to cross that finish line!

In addition to tutoring, Daniela’s interests include baking, flamenco, watching foreign films/TV shows (in addition to tuning in to the occasional British broadcast of Prime Minister’s Questions), poring over old maps and atlases, and, more recently, learning about curling.

Philosophy

From the intersection between my tutoring background and studies in the social sciences, I’ve learned how important it is not only to clearly convey information, but to also provide a few much-needed doses of humor along the way in order to make the material more engaging (and possibly even entertaining!).

To establish rapport, I’ve found that communication is essential for success in test prep (as in life!).  I try to:

• Be proactive about reaching out to parents and students so that we can all stay in the loop
• Encourage students to feel comfortable in speaking up if they’re not sure about something. (If there were such a thing as asking “silly” questions, I’d win a medal for it!)
• Improve confidence by breaking down question types and reassuring students that they have the skills they need to learn how to answer them
• Listen as much as possible to students’ concerns and address them as best I can, thereby setting long- and short-term goals as we work together

I enjoy seeing my students learn and improve on standardized tests, but at the end of the day, scores are just a number, and each individual is so much more than that! The road to achievement is paved with hard work, motivation, and commitment, and I stand by, ready to offer guided support along the way.