Peter Smith is a Chicago Public Schools mathematics teacher and Senior Tutor whose work centers on helping students become active, confident doers of math. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from DePaul University with a double major in Mathematics and Secondary Education and later earned a master's degree in Mathematics from Indiana State University. His classroom and tutoring work are grounded in the belief that students learn mathematics most deeply when they are invited to reason, test ideas, make discoveries, and explain their thinking.

In addition to his high school teaching experience, Peter has worked one-on-one with students through DePaul's Education and Counseling Center and has supported students across Chicago through Math Circles of Chicago. He also regularly participates in Q.E.D., Chicago's math and computer science symposium for middle and high school students, where he provides feedback on students' original mathematical projects.

Peter's teaching philosophy is shaped by his work as a Knowles Teaching Fellow, where he has focused on meaningful, equitable, inquiry-based mathematics instruction. He works to demystify concepts and procedures without taking away students' agency as problem solvers. In practice, that means helping students understand the underlying mathematics, develop reliable procedures, and build enough fluency to apply their knowledge independently.

For ACT and SAT math preparation, Peter uses customized plans built around real exam-style questions, simulated test conditions, and immediate, targeted feedback. This allows him to identify each student's strengths, gaps, and learning style, then adjust instruction accordingly. His goal is for students to experience mathematics as elegant, consistent, useful, and creative - and to carry that understanding into both the classroom and standardized tests.