Our High School Tutors

Gary G

Teaching Style

My teaching style has been, for the most part, dictated by student response. I am comfortable teaching in a traditional lecture format, in a format that uses a cooperative learning approach exclusively, or in a hybrid format. The goal is for effective learning to take place, and I believe my strongest quality is to be able to adapt in such a way that best helps students reach their academic goals.

Experience Summary

For eight years, I taught freshman and sophomore-level mathematics courses at Arizona State University. These courses included College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Finite Mathematics, and Elementary Mathematics Theory. Additionally, I have tutored students in these courses both in the Mathematics Department Tutor Center, and on my own personal time.

Malcom M

Teaching Style

I would best describe my teaching style as both effective and efficient. In order to be an effective teacher (or tutor) a relationship of mutual respect and trust must first be established between the teacher and the student. In addition, a student needs to know that the teacher sincerely cares about his or her accomplishments and successes both inside and outside of the classroom. Once these factor have been incorporated, it is then up to the teacher to relay the material and concepts to the student using situations and examples that are both relevant and familiar to the student's life and future career. If all these factors are taken into consideration, every student has the ability to learn the content of any subject area.

Experience Summary

Over the past 5 years I have taught various subjects in the areas of both science and mathematics including integrated science, earth science, physics, algebra (I and II), and geometry. For the past 3 years I have tutored small groups of student in a district funded, 6 week, after school program in an attempt to help students improve their SAT scores in the area of mathematics with all students reporting a significant increase in their test scores. I have also become extremely proficient with emerging technologies such as the TI-83 graphing calculator (and its successive models), teacher website design, and both online grading and lesson-planning software.

Jane J

Teaching Style

I love to work with youth. I'd like to help kids to understand the course material better and achieve their academic success. I’m patient and easy going and considerate

Experience Summary

I have been a teaching assistant for 6 years to college student. I have taught 12 courses such as linear algebra, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics. I am an experienced tutor.

Andy A

Teaching Style

I am grateful that school was easy for me, but I also know that for many children the task of discovering, understanding, making sense of, and retaining information can be tough and may seem almost overwhelming. All children can learn and there is no better way to instill that desire in them, than to work one-on-one or in small groups. All subjects can be made interesting, and I feel I have a knack for making the "boring" material come alive with relevance and excitement.

Experience Summary

Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins with a degree in writing, I substitute taught full-time at the high school and the middle school levels in the small upstate New York town where I grew up. Since my days as a substitute teacher, I have worked as a freelance writer, Senior Editor at a major publishing company, Senior Copywriter at an ad agency, and attended grad school. Over the past 15 years, I have tutored a number of high school students primarily in English, social studies, paper-writing, and general test-taking strategies.

Vinod V

Teaching Style

The cornerstone of my teaching philosophy and personal teaching goals is to help students develop their own thinking skills. I believe all students should leave the school armed with the ability to think for them selves, to think critically and to think creatively. Understanding how people learn is one of the significant aspects of teaching. This is linked to their “knowledge” background and maturity. The key to teaching is to relate to the audience by starting from what they know and building upon it. As a teacher I am totally involved with the class, dedicated to my students and 100% prepared to devote time and energy for their intellectual growth. Love for teaching evokes passion and dedication within me. I believe that the enthusiasm of a motivated teacher rubs off on his/her students, who derive the inspiration and encouragement which actuates their desire to learn. A good teacher should have sound fundamentals and command over the concepts. Fundamentals are the foundation intrinsic for mastering the subject; only teachers who are strong in fundamentals will be able to pass it on to their students. I believe that my strong command over the fundamentals will rub off on my students. I believe that the role of a teacher is that of a leader where you have to show the path, motivate, encourage, and lead by example. In short, my success lies in seeing my students succeed.

Experience Summary

My enthusiasm and love for education can be gauged from the fact that I pursued three Masters degrees in three distinct but related fields. One cannot pursue engineering as a profession without having an affinity for Math and Analysis. Math was a passion for me from my young days and still very much remains so. I have a thorough knowledge and understanding of math. Right from my school days I was involved and loved to teach math. I invariably obtained A+ scores in whatever math test I took in my lifetime. For instance my GRE math score was above 95% of test takers' scores. I have taught Middle school, High school and under-graduate students in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Quadratic Equations, Applied Probability and Calculus.

Veronica V

Teaching Style

I love teaching and the reward that it brings. I am a step-by-step oriented teacher. I've had many students return saying how my style of teaching continues to help them in their current studies. In my 14 years of experience, I've learned that many students learn with many different styles. I believe that every child can learn; however, the teacher must reach them at their level. If I have a good understanding of where the student is academically, I can help them to grow academically.

Experience Summary

I've taught middle school for 14 years. My goal in becoming a teacher was to reach those students who had, somehow, fallen through the cracks of education. I taught at a drop-out-prevention school for 7 years. During those years, my student scores continuously rose. I taught 7th and 9th grade at this school. I transferred to a different middle school where I taught 6th & 7th grade for two years and the remaining five years, I taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1. I began to tutor after school during my first year to struggling students. I was also listed on the school boards list of tutors. I also worked at an after-school program. During these years, I tutored second graders and up to mathematical levels of geometry, Algebra 1 and Algebra II.

Jim J

Teaching Style

I believe that the possibilities of learning are incredible, especially with understanding the tools of both teaching and learning whether that is textbooks, computers, or something else. It is important to ascertain how a student learns, and adjust to them. I’ve discovered in my teaching of children that it is critical to create a foundation of understanding then build upon it through repetition of the basic ideals while adding to what is already established. Children are amazingly open to new ideas, and take on new challenges with excitement, so it is my job as instructor to guide them in their journey. I also feel that early learning is fundamental to the way individuals learn later in life, so helping children learn how to overcome obstacles becomes a way of expanding their educational possibilities.

Experience Summary

Throughout my higher educational career, I’ve been driven to learn as much as possible to help satisfy my enormous curiosity. I have earned a bachelor degree in English Literature, and am currently a MFA candidate in the creative writing program at Arizona State University. As part of my graduate funding, I work as a teaching assistant. The program requires constant training, and I enjoy taking part in understanding the way students learn. In addition to teaching at the university, I work with the Office of Youth Preparation—teaching not only the craft of poetry, but helping 4th and 5th graders develop language skills necessary to do well in school. Although I primarily work with the study of English, I study Spanish and have become proficient with the use of the language.

Tammy T

Teaching Style

I love teaching in an environment where the student is made to feel comfortable and that their efforts are rewarded and appreciated. I like to provide my students with as many tools as possible to make sure they get the most thorough understanding of a particular concept. Often times I use hands-on materials, one-on-one settings, and technology based instruction. One person at a time helping one student at a time can make the difference.

Experience Summary

I began tutoring before I began teaching. I have always had a passion for seeing students become successful math students. In the last three years I have tutored over 20 students privately in the areas of reading for grades K-5 and in mathematics from kindergarten to Algebra through Trigonometry. In addition to my tutoring experience I have branched into teaching basic math courses at the college level. I feel that my experience working in community based tutoring groups and structured programs are a great asset.