Hassan A.

Science, Stories, Sports & the Outdoors — Learning Through Curiosity and Play

Washington D.C

• I’ve spent more than 20 years teaching fitness and movement, so I love finding ways to get kids learning while they’re active.
• I’m an avid birder and wildlife observer, and have documented dozens of plants and animals in the field, which is one reason I enjoy helping kids notice the nature around them
• I once studied ant behavior in Itea, Greece, observing how they interacted and moved through their environment.

My name is Hassan Ali. I study zoology at Oregon State University and work as a youth educator, coach, and fitness instructor. I have experience in outdoor education, sports, science, and creative learning. My teaching approach is straightforward: I encourage students to consider questions independently before providing answers. I believe effective learning happens when children explore, experiment, make mistakes, ask questions, and discover connections on their own. My role is to guide this process, maintain their interest, and help them build confidence in their thinking. What sets my method apart is the variety of experiences I have brought into the classroom. Because of my training in zoology and my work in outdoor education, I am able to present science in a practical way and link it to real-life situations. The time I've spent playing basketball, boxing, doing personal training, and coaching has shown me how to get students motivated, how to break down skills into small, manageable steps, and how to encourage them to keep going. Moreover, I enjoy literature, poetry, storytelling, and creative writing, and I like to find ways of connecting writing with science, nature, and imagination. I would like parents to be made aware that I care just as much about how a child feels in class as I do about what they learn; my aim is to set up a welcoming environment in which students feel safe in asking questions, trying out new things, expressing themselves, and being proud of the progress they make. Whether they are exploring writing, solving a STEM challenge, or learning a new athletic skill, I want students to be more curious and confident by the time they leave class than when they first arrived.