I attended Alpha Math and Science as a junior in high school. I am writing this review years later…read morebecause I still think about this experience, and I genuinely believe students and parents deserve to know how damaging a teacher's behavior can be toward young people.
The way this program was structured was that students were encouraged to come in early for additional help. That was repeatedly emphasized as a way to succeed. At the time, I was 16 years old and under an extreme amount of stress. I had a calculus test the following day, was overwhelmed, and already anxious because the class itself was marketed as preparation but felt stressful from the start.
Because I wanted help, I came in early as instructed.
A TA was helping me before class started. She was kind, calm, and supportive. I sat in the front of the classroom with the TA seated next to me. When class officially began, I immediately stopped working independently and began taking notes like everyone else. The TA stayed seated next to me and would occasionally tap my shoulder to quietly point out a correction or clarification on my work. When that happened, I responded quietly and respectfully. I was not talking to classmates, not distracting anyone, and not being disruptive in any way.
This continued for about thirty minutes. Then the TA left.
The moment she walked out, the instructor suddenly began screaming at me at full volume in front of the entire class. As a 16 year old student, being screamed at by a grown adult in front of my peers was terrifying. I had been in his class for over a year at that point. I was always quiet, attentive, and respectful, and I had never been a problem student.
He continued yelling at me aggressively in both English and Chinese. I do not speak or understand Chinese well, which made the situation even more confusing and frightening. When I could not respond properly because I did not understand what he was saying, he became even angrier. He accused me of being disrespectful and intentionally talking during class, even though I had only been responding quietly to the TA earlier.
At one point, he accused me of intentionally tripping the TA as she left, claiming I had done it on purpose. In reality, her foot had simply caught on a loose backpack string. The accusation was shocking and completely untrue.
I began crying uncontrollably in front of the entire class. He did not stop yelling. He continued berating me while I stood there frozen, embarrassed, and scared.
What made this even more unsettling was that staff members came into the classroom during this incident and simply stood there watching. I had seen similar situations before where staff would appear when he yelled at other students, which made it clear that this behavior was not unusual.
Eventually, he stormed out of the classroom. The entire atmosphere was ruined. I felt horrible not only for myself but also for the other students whose learning time was lost because of his inability to control his temper.
After the short break, his wife came in to teach the second half of the class. While I was still crying and visibly shaken, she told me that if I needed extra help, I should come in early. That sentence completely broke me. I had come in early. I had followed exactly what the program instructed students to do.
I was exhausted, scared, and speechless. I regret not saying anything in that moment, but I was a timid teenager who had just been publicly humiliated by a teacher. I gathered my things, left immediately, and never returned to Alpha Math and Science.
After I left, friends who stayed in the class later told me that the instructor would frequently mention me during lessons. He told them to tell me that he would offer me free classes if I came back. There was no apology, no acknowledgment of how he treated me, and no accountability. Just an offer of free classes, as if access to his teaching excused the way he behaved.
I did not need his class then, and I do not need it now.
Today, I am in college at UC Berkeley with a job lined up. I have learned from many professors, including award winning ones, who are demanding, disciplined, and high standard without being cruel or humiliating. Looking back, I now understand how harmful a teacher with poor emotional control and a lack of emotional intelligence can be to a young student's confidence and well being.
These classes are expensive, and in my experience, they made no meaningful positive impact on my academic success. What they did leave behind was stress, fear, and lasting emotional damage.
There are better resources out there. No test score, class, or program is worth feeling unsafe, belittled, or scared in a learning environment. I hope this review helps students and parents make a more informed decision.
