Hi, I’m Ryan Bates

I’m a learning coach, teacher, curriculum designer, and founder of @theCore T&L.

Subscribe to get my weekly newsletter, Core Bites, and the latest resources on all things being a better writer and student in school.

Student First

First and foremost, I’m a student. A lifelong learner. This is how I grow and how I serve you. I share my knowledge and experiences to make you a better student or nurturer of students.

Life-long student

Learning Coach

I’m a Learning Coach who focuses on writing and what goes into being a better writer in school. Whether you are a high schooler in a history class, an undergrad student, or grad student in education, I’m here for you.

Learning Coach

Student-centered Teacher

I’m a teacher who focuses on the parts of teaching and learning that transform us to be better learners, problem solvers, and communicators across subject matter, grade level, or profession.

Student-centered teacher

Curriculum Design

I’m a curriculum designer. This is my passion. Creating new curriculum and tinkering with existing content to make us better students, better learners, better teachers.

Curriculum design

@theCore

I’m the founder of @theCore Teaching & Learning. @theCore focuses on all the ins and outs of being a better writer in school. By focusing on academic writing, we can be better students and, overall, better learners in school and life.

To do this, I share what I learn and experience as a student, as a teacher, as a human.

@theCore T&L

Testimonials

Dr. Bates is extremely helpful and gets you thinking beyond what you need. He’s super supportive and is easy to talk to!

V.V., AP Seminar student 
V.V., AP Seminar student

Dr. Bates has a very calm demeanor, which allowed me to compose myself and focus on what we were learning each day. I struggled with test anxiety which can make it difficult for me to learn in certain environments, but I never felt that way in his classroom.

I also became a better writer with Dr. Bates’s help in APUSH and Seminar. Every AP Exam has different writing requirements, but with U.S. History being the first ever AP Exam I would take made me nervous. So, practicing DBQs and FRQs and getting his feedback was key for the AP Exam, but also in learning how to connect big picture concepts.

N.K., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student 
N.K., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student

My paper was pretty rough, but with the help of Dr. Bates, it was in great condition. Every time we had a peer review, my paper was barely ever commented on because Dr. Bates had prepared me to cover all the points necessary.

C.K., AP Seminar student 
C.K., AP Seminar student

Dr. Bates believed in me and that meant the most out of anything he ever did! I could tell he was invested in my future and genuinely cared.

K.G., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student 
K.G., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student

The way Dr. Bates taught me history was different from how I was taught in the past. He made us think deeper about the motives of historical figures and why events happened. This was refreshing!

D.G., AP U.S. History student 
D.G., AP U.S. History student

A teacher should be a source of motivation, must believe in the student, and must make the student feel comfortable enough to approach the teacher when they are struggling or are not understanding something. I never really lacked motivation, but for some students, it only takes one teacher believing in them for them to believe in themselves. Dr. Bates, thank you for believing in me.

D.S., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student 
D.S., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student

Dr. Bates was the first teacher that pushed my way of thinking to be more analytical. With him as one of my guides, I have used this way of thinking to accomplish a lot in my college career.

The way Dr. Bates connects with his students makes a comfortable learning environment. Anxiety often made me doubt myself so to have someone to relate to helped me grow leaps and bounds over the years.

D.G., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student 
D.G., AP U.S. History and AP Seminar student

With Dr. Bates’s help, I was able to develop some strong studying and organizational habits. He was easy and approachable to ask questions, and it fostered a comfortable/safe/and interesting learning environment. I knew that Dr. Bates cared about the material he was teaching and also cared about making sure we understood things and felt prepared.

Students should be given independence and the opportunity to connect the material back to something that is important to them, and Dr. Bates helped me do this. He was willing to explain things to me more than once and gave me the tools to run with that I was learning and make it into my own thing.

A.G., AP U.S. History and AP Research student 
A.G., AP U.S. History and AP Research student

One of the biggest things for me that Dr. Bates brought as a teacher was the personal aspect of education. He got to know his students and allowed them to learn the material in a way they would remember. I am proud of the personal growth that his class taught me.

C.T., AP U.S. History student 
C.T., AP U.S. History student

Dr. Bates was able to engage with his students and treat us as if we were on a similar level and it made me feel more comfortable to ask about the material and any other questions. He also had a strong understanding of the material and explained it in a way that was understandable to people with no background knowledge.

D.G., AP U.S. History student 
D.G., AP U.S. History student