Our Tutors

Maria M

Teaching Style

I love tutoring and consider myself to be effective at it. I approach it with enthusiasm. I apply theory to practical applications in my career and life. My approach is one of ease. I consider mathematics to be easy, as long as you accept what I call "the rules of the game"; i.e., there are certain principles that have to be accepted, and not questioned, then everything else falls in place. I believe that all people have the capability of learning, and I love the opportunity to provide a positive experience to students.

Experience Summary

I have been tutoring for more than 5 years. My main focus is mathematics, but I also tutor students in Spanish I through IV. I have tutored Spanish, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. I have recently helped several students prepare for the SAT math test. I enjoy making a difference in the student’s life.

Carla C

Teaching Style

I believe each student has a unique way of learning, and that my job is to discover and support that learning style. Every writer has his or her own voice, and I work to empower writers to express their thoughts as clearly and powerfully as possible. My goal is not to impose information but to guide students in discovery, to support critical thinking and foster new perspectives. Writing is an intensely personal and creative act; I believe in providing a framework within which writing students can comfortably and confidently learn the strategies to speak easily on the page.

Experience Summary

I've spent most of my life helping people learn, starting as a peer tutor in high school! I began teaching professionally as a teaching assistant in college, and since then I've taught in a wide variety of settings, including government training programs, workplace and vocational education, university, high school and community college classes, and private language schools. As a published writer, I mentor and coach writing students in fiction, nonfiction and college composition, and I've designed and developed many classes and programs to support writing students of all levels. I was a tutor for three years at the International School of Languages in Beverly Hills, working with foreign students to improve their command of English. With a BA and MA in Russian studies and a minor in English and journalism, as well as certification in adult literacy, GED and basic education and a community college credential, I have a wide range of experience in language education and writing competency.

Karissa K

Teaching Style

I love one-on-one tutoring because of the complete attention I can pay to the tutee’s specific needs and his or her learning style. My personality is encouraging, positive and patient, and that has served me well in building relationships with repeat tutees at the Writing Center over the past two years. To me, the primary role of a tutor is to explore ideas about the subject in a way that there is not time for in the classroom and also to ask tutees the questions they would not think to ask themselves about their ideas. I can help tutees explore the potential of their ideas and how to own the skills they already possess. My role is also to help the tutee expand his or her knowledge base and tools for future writing through examples, research and discussion.

Experience Summary

As a tutor at the University of Arizona Writing Center, I worked with undergraduate, graduate and international students on all aspects of the writing process. This encompassed higher and lower order concerns including brainstorming, outlining, drafting, formatting, thesis and topic sentence work, grammar and ESL concerns, research methods, and content. My tutees came from all majors including English, History, Business, and the sciences. I worked on everything from rhetorical analyses to technical writing for business to personal statements and research papers. I also spent two semesters in an online tutoring program for high school students to submit drafts of their college admissions essays for commentary. They could then make revisions and resubmit additional drafts for further critiquing. Additionally, as a Magna Cum Laude History graduate with a Political Science minor, I focused on American History and government and developed a passion for those topics I love to impart on others.

Donald D

Teaching Style

I believe children today are shortchanged by our educational system. Kids need people who hold them to high standards rather than minimums. They need to feel like people believe they are worthy of success and able to attain it rather than being given built-in excuses. Therefore, my teaching style is to hold students to a high level of proficiency. I work with students in a way that builds their confidence and makes them feel like they know things others don't. There is a real "edge" that they feel when they think they might actually be "one of the smart ones" after all and it breeds both an interest and an ambition to be better.

Experience Summary

I have Accounting, Finance, and Economics degrees or designations of emphasis as part of my educational resume. Earning those degrees takes quite a bit of mathematical and analytical knowledge and skill. I went into these degree areas because they not only met one of many areas of interest to me but I also perceived they were perhaps more useful. However, I have a great interest and an immersion based education in history, civics, and political science based areas. I've also been asked to be a contributing writer for both a political blog and a sports related blog which has allowed me to hone my writing and grammatical skills.

Dara D

Teaching Style

I believe in my students and their abilities to learn and synthesize their experiences. My students learn their subjects because I provide a variety of techniques to command their attention. I believe teaching is not just about giving students information but about reaching students who might "get lost" in the system without a guide and friend to help them along.

Experience Summary

I have taught for over ten years in the public school system and learned how to "connect" with students. I have taught physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the high school level, and I have a wide range of teaching experiences in those fields. I have taught AP, honors, and standard classes. Using interesting movies followed by a lab to reinforce the concept is one of the ways I have used to reach students and make a difference in their lives.

Michael M

Teaching Style

The desire to learn is one of the most important things anyone can learn. Whether it be a child seeing science for their first time, or an college adult ready to tackle the real world. I believe everyone is capable of discovering their true abilities sometimes they just need a bit of a nudge to help them find it. I like to use tutoring to help them determine how they learn. While I may employ a method of how to solve a problem, everyone learns differently. Some people are more audio learners while others require visual aides. My hope is to help them discover how they learn so they can maximize their own potential.

Experience Summary

I am simulation programmer with a passion for mathematics and physics. My desire educate myself further has driven me to explore the cutting edge of simulation technology through the physics of game design. My immense expertise in higher level math has given me a deeper appreciation for continued education. As a tutor I have helped others to share this appreciation since I was 16. In the past I have tutored a variety of subjects which include Calculus, Discrete Mathematics, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Mechanical Physics, Electromagnetics. Additionally I have assisted students with programming courses related to C++, C# and Java, Algorithms and Data Structures, and Artificial Intelligence.

Justin J

Teaching Style

I am a very enthusiastic tutor and, as I stated in the previous section, believe teaching in such a way that the student gains a true mastery of the given subject. In a sense, I believe in each student understanding a particular concept in their own unique way that is consistent with their unique thinking processes. I strive to do this by relating a given concept analogously to something the student already fundamentally understands. I also create new problems to solve that probe the students’ progress and comprehension. I try to make these problems as realistic as possible to make them interesting to the student.

Experience Summary

Being a Ph.D. candidate and appointed research assistant, I very much realize the importance of true comprehension of a subject. Not only do I hold two B.S. degrees in Applied Mathematics and Chemical Engineering but I also carry credits to the equivalent of a Non-Thesis Masters in Applied Mathematics and am one course shy of a minor in Chemistry. I have tutored groups of students for Sylvan Learning Centers, conducted one-on-one sessions with Educational Enrichment and independently, and prepared and delivered lectures for advanced undergraduate chemical engineering courses. I am capable and experienced in tutoring all levels of mathematics, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics and materials science.

Redha R

Teaching Style

I teach by example and I am methodical. I show a student how to solve a problem by going very slowly and by following a sequence of steps. I make sure that the student follows understands each step before moving on to the next one. I then ask the student to solve almost the exact same problem (with a slight change in numbers for example)so that the student learns the method and how to solve the problem by herself/himself. I am very patient but expect the student to be willing to learn. I tell students that learning a subject matter is more important than getting an A in a class - this is because 1. if you learn, chances are you won't forget (at least for a long while) and 2. you will get a good grade as a result.

Experience Summary

I have been employed by the IBM corporation for the last 27 years. I held numerous positions in hardware development, software development, telecommunication network development, project management, solution architecture, performance analysis, and others. As much as I enjoy my job, I have passion in Mathematics. I develop new ideas related to my work and expand them into U.S. patents and external technical papers. I informally tutor family and friends attending high school or college. I was a Mathematics teaching assistant at the Univ. of Pittsburgh for 2 years and at the Univ. of Michigan at Ann Arbor for 3 years. I love teaching and sharing my knowledge with others. I have published numerous technical papers and hold numerous U.S. patents as well.