Our Tutors

Desiree D

Teaching Style

As young minds are developing it is my desire to fulfill and enrich their potential. To teach is to be patient and to listen to the student. It is to be approachable and provide constructive feedback. My goal would be to determine the student’s weak points and to develop goals to strengthen their weak areas. Be patience and produce lesson plans to strengthen this weakness. Growing up I played several sports and practice was so essential to achieve greatness. This can apply to all facets of life. Work hard and anyone one can achieve. The student’s success would be a reflection of my progress and will always be a motivator.

Experience Summary

I am a progressive finance professional with over 10 years experience in the commercial banking industry. I have obtained a BS in business management and a MBA in finance. I have experience as a team player and have lead teams. I considered myself to motivate, innovative and have a good rapport with people. My strongest assets are math and computers. I spend my days formulating formulas and constructing reports on spreadsheets. I wish to pass on the wealth of knowledge to our future achievers. It would be a pleasure and my desire to tutor in elementary math and/or pre algebra. I pick these subjects because I had performed suitable doing my years as a student. I was a volunteer for the Junior Achievement program. I volunteer to teach an hour once a week to second graders for three months. I accomplished this for two years. It was a rewarding experience. The subject was structured by Junior Achievement to teach banking, government and the importance of people and places in our community.

Paul P

Teaching Style

I have always considered teaching the most honorable profession. It is a profession where we develop and shape minds to become the future leaders of our nation. As a teacher, I have to be very careful with the knowledge that is imparted in to these young minds. What we teach students must not only prepare them to succeed in the class but it must also prepare for them the various challenges in their career and also in the world. I have always encouraged my students to think outside the box. I give them exercises that are practical, and encourage teamwork in class. I also try to encourage students to participate in class and they rewarded with participation points. To make sure students are reviewing the class materials, I give them take home exercises that make up a significant part of the final grade. I try to make myself available to students either through email or office hours to answer their questions and help them if they have any problem. I love teaching. As a teacher, not only do the students learn from me, I also learn from teaching them.

Experience Summary

I have an MBA in Finance and an MSc in Accounting from Illinois State University. During my three years in graduate school I tutored finance and accounting for two years then, in my last year I was an instructor for corporate finance and intermediate accounting. I also presented several research articles in finance on interest rates and investments analysis. After the completion of my MBA and MSc, I worked in public accounting as a tax accountant for seven months before deciding to go back to school for a PhD in Accounting. I currently enrolled in the PhD in Accounting program at Florida International University.

Nigel N

Teaching Style

I believe that every child is capable of learning and that every child has their own style of learning. As a teacher, I believe in differentiated instruction that allows all students an equal opportunity to learn. I believe in teaching through student exploration. Once a child is able to discover a concept on their own, they are able to better understand and remember it. My approach to teaching is to expose students to practical problems. Once these problems are understood, I introduce a mathematical concept that should allow them to discover a solution to the problem. Throughout this approach, I’m always encouraging and patient. I always stress the importance of making an attempt at solving a problem, as in my favorite quote, “Without struggle, there is no progress.”

Experience Summary

During completion of my undergraduate degree in math, I always strived to achieve excellence in education and to pass on my love for learning. Throughout my college career, I’ve tutored at the undergraduate, the middle and the high school levels. Such exposure allowed me to determine the concepts students have the most difficulty in understanding, and I’m able to prepare accordingly. Upon completion of my degree, I accepted an analyst position with an HR Consulting firm. During these four years, I gained vital experience that allows me to transfer mathematical concepts into real world examples. Such experience has proven to be critical in helping students visualize practical examples of what they learn. I have since left the Consulting firm and entered into teaching. I’m finally doing what I enjoy the most, teaching and passing on a love for learning.

Sandra S

Teaching Style

I have always worked with children, first as a babysitter at the age of 12, and then through the schools. I've learned that all students are unique and they respond to different teaching methods differently. I can usually tell by their expression if they "get it" or not. And if they are having difficulty, I immediately change my instructional approach. I have been known to make up learning strategies on the spur of the moment to suit a student and the material. I just enjoy being around children and want children to want to learn. It is something they will need to do the rest of their lives and I want them to have the skills they need to learn in the future.

Experience Summary

I was the first person to graduate from any higher level institution on both sides of my family - and paid for it myself by working and going to school. I have always strived to achieve success in whatever I attempt. Through the various jobs I have had besides teaching, I have learned many skills helpful to me in teaching and in life. I was a Title I teacher for 27 years in Illinois focusing on remedial reading, phonics, and math skills. I have also taught art (K-8) and computers (K-adult). I have worked with classroom teachers extensively to help our students learn.

Christine C

Teaching Style

It is a firm belief of mine that every child can learn and succeed, they just need the motivation and positive environment to do so. With that said, I strive to create a learning-rich environment where students are encouraged to ask questions and find answers. I also like to encourage my students to try their hardest and to not be discouraged by challenging material. In addition, I realize that many students do not receive encouragement or learning opportunities at home, so I try to compensate for that by filling the day with multiple academic opportunities and challenges and positive relationships and encouragement. I have a medium control approach where I allow the children's inner motivation to steer the way instead of my external direction. It is my hope that I positively impact each and every child that I come into contact with.

Experience Summary

I am currently an elementary education major at the University of Florida. I will graduate in May 2009 and then stay an additional year for graduate school. In all of my classes, I have been taught a variety of information to use when working with children. Because I am in the ProTeach Program, I have been given a large magnitude of opportunities to work with children all over the Gainesville area from a variety of backgrounds. I have worked in a rural 3rd grade classroom and an urban 3rd and 4th grade classroom. I have also worked at a day care center in Gainesville. I have been a tutor for the Bright Futures Program for a little girl at risk in the second grade. Back home in Jacksonville, I was a private teacher for a 4th grade girl that was home schooled year around.

Emily E

Teaching Style

My teaching style focuses on the needs of the student. I tend to access how the student learns best within the first 1-2 sessions and then I can work with the student in the way that is most beneficial to him or her. Each student has a ball of learning energy inside them that will come out if you encourage them. I love encouraging students and getting them excited about learning new things. I try to simplify concepts to make it easier to grasp and compare assignments to life situations. There aren't many people who care about how other people succeed, but I love to watch people grow as they learn new ideas, grasp new concepts, learn some new studying tips and succeed in their education.

Experience Summary

As a graduate with a BA in English and Spanish I have developed a love for languages. As an English major I have read hundreds of books and wrote scores of papers, which gave me excellent reading and grammar skills. Writing papers also helped me learn to critically analyze and interpret passages as well as whole books. Education outside of my university includes a month in Prague for a four week course to get a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). During that month we, the students, taught the Czech students English. When I spent four months in Spain, I tutored a girl who needed a little extra help with studying for her classes. We worked together twice a week on her Spanish assignments in the areas of Spanish history, grammar, phonetics and literature.

Robert R

Teaching Style

I’ve always been interested in the application of math and science to the solution of real world problems. This led me to a very satisfying career in engineering. Therefore my approach to teaching is very application oriented. I like to relate the subject to problems that the students will encounter in real life situations. I've generally only worked with older students; high school or college age or older mature adults who have returned to school to get advance training or learn a new trade.

Experience Summary

I’ve always been interested in math and science; especially in their application to solving real world problems. This led me to a very satisfying career in engineering. I have a BS in electrical engineering from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) and an MS in electrical engineering from Marquette University. I am a registered professional engineer in Illinois. I have over 30 years of experience in the application, development, and sales/field support of electrical/electronic controls for industrial, aerospace, and automotive applications. I’m currently doing consulting work at Hamilton-Sundstrand, Delta Power Company, and MTE Hydraulics in Rockford. I also have college teaching and industrial training experience. I have taught several courses at Rock Valley College in Electronic Technology, mathematics, and in the Continuing Education area. I’ve done industrial technical training for Sundstrand, Barber Colman, and others. I’ve also taught math courses at Rasmussen College and Ellis College (online course). I’ve also been certified as an adjunct instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for math and physics courses. I've tutored my own sons in home study programs. I'm currently tutoring a home schooled student in math using Saxon Math. I hope to do more teaching/tutoring in the future as I transition into retirement.

Brigid B

Teaching Style

I see the role of the educator as a pivotal element in not only academic success, but social and cultural success as well. Therefore my teaching skills often incorporate pockets of knowledge from various disciplines. I also believe that the role of the teacher can also mirror the role of the student, as both teacher and student can learn from each other. I believe that children should be given the necessary tools that foster intellectual curiosity, so as to sharpen creativity and independent thinking. My approach to teaching is not to just impart information, but to impart information in such a way that will lend for students to engage in questioning and realization of answers. Because after all, learning is discovery!

Experience Summary

My academic and professional histories champion my lack of formal teaching experience. Upon graduating from NC State with Psychology and Journalism degrees in December 2005, I was employed as an editorial and production assistant at a national consumer magazine; Child, in New York City. My roles were exhaustive of both skills I am trained in, and the quality of my writing and grammatical abilities improved greatly. I have been tutoring undergraduate students in writing and aiding with their writing assignments for roughly three years. Notwithstanding the fact that I currently am a research assistant at NCSU's social psychology stress lab, I am confident that my contribution to Advanced Learners' students will be par none.