Brian Sims
History/Executive Functioning/Writing Tutor
Brian Sims has been a classroom teacher for ten years and is currently a High School Social Studies teacher with MCPS. Brian has a unique teaching background, being the first several years of his teaching career he served as a Special Education teacher, teaching both self-contained and co-taught History classes. Brian’s first five years were spent teaching in Virginia and then he moved to Maryland and began teaching with MCPS. In Brian’s teaching career so far, he has taught Ancient World History, Modern World History, and United States History at the High School level. At the Middle School level, Brian has taught both 6th and 7th grade World Studies.
Brian believes that key to student success in the classroom is first building a solid relationship with students. He aims to first get to know his students as people and individuals, and then get to know them as students. Using different strategies, differentiation, plenty of ways of delivering content, not to mention lots of humor, Brian makes sure that every student has the chance to succeed. He wants students to be able to challenge themselves and have fun in the classroom. Many of his students say that Social Studies is their favorite class because of the way that he teaches. Given Brian’s background in Special Education he can see the whole student, and can help your student thrive when it comes to study skills, executive functioning, organization, writing, etc. Brian has also coached high school football for eight years and often brings the coach-like mentality and attitude to the classroom.
Brian received his undergraduate degree from JMU in Harrisonburg, VA (Go Dukes!) in Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish. He began his teaching career almost immediately after and served his first year in education as an instructional assistant supporting almost every content area before transitioning to teaching the following year. Brian then got a Master’s in Special Education with a certificate in K-12 General Education at George Mason University. He considers himself to be a lifelong learner, evidenced by the fact that he is currently enrolled in Towson’s Transformational Educational Leadership Master’s program and has a few classes left. After finishing his second Master’s he hopes to enjoy teaching in the classroom a bit longer before potentially transitioning into school administration.