For students who think
beyond school.
Most students are trained to answer questions designed by others. I teach them to see the structure behind the question itself.
This is mentorship, not tutoring. I work with a small number of students each year — through serious reading, structured writing, and honest conversation. No memorization. No templates. No shortcuts.
14+ years teaching · Students across 12 countries · UC Berkeley · Former PwC
Reading. Thinking. Writing — done properly.
A deliberate intellectual
progression
Each program follows a structured path — from foundational reading habits to advanced philosophical writing. This is mentorship, not tutoring. Students grow with me over months and years.
Build the Foundation
Disciplined reading habits, sentence precision, and paragraph architecture. Students learn to organize thoughts clearly and distinguish between description, explanation, and reasoning. This is where a love of reading becomes a way of thinking.
Sharpen the Mind
Students develop the ability to identify assumptions, trace causality, and construct layered arguments. Emphasis on structural clarity and analytical reasoning. This is where most students begin to surprise themselves — and their parents.
Find Your Voice
Advanced critical writing and intellectual voice. Students learn to think hierarchically, synthesize complex texts, and write essays grounded in disciplined reasoning. The qualities that distinguish exceptional thinkers.
Tell Your Story
Narrative architecture and personal positioning for top universities. Students who work with me long-term have the strongest advantage — they already know how to think and write with their own voice.
What changes in the first three months
Every student progresses differently, but families consistently notice these shifts early on.
They start reading willingly
Not because they were assigned to, but because something in the text caught their attention. The shift from "I have to read this" to "I want to understand this" is the first sign of real progress.
They explain things more clearly
Parents often notice it at the dinner table first. Their child starts articulating thoughts with more structure and confidence — not just opinions, but reasoning.
School writing improves
Teachers notice. Essays become more structured, arguments more coherent. This happens as a byproduct — we don't drill school assignments, but the skills transfer directly.
They ask better questions
Instead of asking "what's the answer," they start asking "why does this matter." That shift in curiosity is what separates students who perform from students who think.
What parents and students say
"He was rejected from his first-choice school. Dean just said let's move forward. They rewrote everything. When the acceptance came, Dean was the first person my son called. Before his father. Before me."
"Before a trip to Prague, Dean taught her about Kafka and the Prague Spring. When we arrived, she said: 'This is something you must understand when you come here.' Then she explained the Velvet Revolution to us. She's eleven."
"After his first class my son said: 'My first time ever being asked that many WHY.' He went from quiet and introverted to asking when the next class is."
"He went from video games to running for class government and memorizing his entire speech. Dean introduced him to Gatsby, then Shakespeare — and made literature feel worth his time."
"He was shy, wouldn't speak up. Now his teacher says he actively shares his thoughts in class. My son feels truly seen — and that confidence has changed everything."
"My statement of purpose read like a résumé. Everyone said add more achievements. Dean said the opposite: tell one story, tell it clearly. I was admitted to both Stanford and UCLA."
"Most teachers would have given up on her. Dean kept the door open. Both my daughters keep coming back."
"I had a tutor from a more highly ranked school, but the fit was never right. Dean was different — more like an older brother than a tutor."
We do not read randomly
We read to train perception, structure, and judgment. The canon is organized by cognitive development, not popularity. Each tier builds on the last.
Moral Structure and Narrative Clarity
Upper elementary through early middle school. Moral awareness, irony detection, and structural reading habits.
- Distinguish appearance from reality
- Recognize narrative tension
- Identify moral ambiguity
- Write clear paragraphs
Irony, Psychological Depth, and Social Conflict
Middle school through early high school. Tracing causality, assumption, and internal conflict.
- Detect structural irony
- Identify flawed reasoning
- Analyze character psychology
- Build layered arguments
Existential and Philosophical Complexity
High school and advanced students. Sustained attention and disciplined interpretation.
- Navigate ambiguity
- Interpret symbolic structures
- Synthesize philosophical themes
- Develop authentic voice
Philosophy, Political Theory, and Modern Thought
Selected texts introduced based on readiness. The goal is not completion — it is disciplined engagement.
Contemporary and Applied Thought
Nonfiction that connects abstract reasoning to systems, economics, and society.
Evidence of intellectual growth
We don't just claim results. Here is what the progression actually looks like — from the kind of question we ask, to how a student's analysis evolves over time.
Sharp instinct. He sees the contrast — but can't yet explain why Steinbeck constructed it that way, or what it reveals about the novel's deeper argument.
He's no longer describing. He's tracing how language becomes a tool of power — and identifying the mechanism behind it.
"The first signs of this corruption can be found in Chapter 1 when Old Major gives his famous speech to the animals of Manor Farm. Orwell depicts Old Major as a political visionary who has the power and charisma necessary to bring all the animals together. His speech is powerful because it simplifies the world into a clear moral struggle. 'All the habits of Man are evil. And above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind.' This declaration reduces a complex social reality to a simple division between enemies and comrades. The simplicity of this message inspires the animals and makes rebellion imaginable. At the same time, Orwell quietly reveals the danger within this type of thinking. This kind of worldview, based on absolute categories, is easily influenced and changed by whoever has control over the definitions. Old Major's speech is both the source of hope and the beginning of the deception for the animals."
One student. One year of structured mentorship. From observation to argument.
A writer, mentor,
and educator
I grew up between Asia and the United States. Moving across cultures shaped how I read and interpret the world. It taught me early that meaning often resides beneath the surface — in structure rather than display.
I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Political Economy. My formal education extended into philosophy, literature, and political thought. I took far more courses than required, not to accumulate credentials, but to pursue coherence.
I began my professional career at PwC in Silicon Valley, working alongside engineers, consultants, and entrepreneurs. There I saw that clear reasoning and precise language often mattered more than technical fluency. That realization eventually led me away from corporate life and toward education.
I have been teaching since 2012. My work focuses on structural reading, disciplined reasoning, and the formation of intellectual voice. Students do not learn formulas. They learn to trace causality, examine assumptions, and build arguments with coherence and integrity.
We engage texts ranging from classical epics to modern existential literature — not for test preparation, but to sharpen perception and deepen judgment. Writing, in this context, is not merely a skill. It is a method of thinking.
Most students are never taught how to think. They are taught how to perform. My work exists to close that gap.
My teaching has been shaped by Camus, Kafka, Kundera, Goethe, Schopenhauer, and Thomas Mann. From them I learned that writing carries ethical weight. Clarity is responsibility. Precision is discipline.
This is mentorship, not tutoring
Every student begins with a trial session. From there, programs are tailored to what the student actually needs and structured around long-term development, not hourly transactions.
no commitment required
structured around the student's pace
6–24 months · investment shared after consultation
visit Dean's List →
Fill out the inquiry form below. We'll start with a brief conversation about your child's goals and current reading level. From there, I'll recommend the right program. Most families hear back within 24 hours.
Both. I have an office near Zhishan Station in Taipei, and many students join from around the world — California, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong. The format matters less than the depth of our conversations.
Many of my students prepare for these with me. But I don't teach to the test. I teach students to think. The scores follow.
Every session is a conversation, not a lecture. I don't correct grammar and assign homework — I teach students how to structure arguments, reason clearly, and develop a genuine intellectual voice. Most students stay with me for years, not weeks.
Some of my strongest students started in third grade. The earlier we build a love of reading and thinking, the more natural it becomes.
Three steps to begin
Submit an Inquiry
Tell me about your child — their grade, interests, and what you're looking for. The form takes two minutes.
Brief Conversation
We'll talk about fit, goals, and the right program. I respond personally within 24 hours.
Paid Trial Session
One session, at the standard rate. Your child works with me one-on-one. Afterward, we decide together whether to continue with a regular schedule.
Start with a conversation.
I work with a small number of students each year. If this feels like the right fit, tell me about your child — I review every inquiry personally.
Apply for a Trial Session
All students begin with a required 1:1 paid trial session. This session evaluates reading discipline, writing structure, reasoning clarity, and overall readiness. Please fill out the form below — I review every application personally.