Our Tutors

Nova N

Teaching Style

I love seeing students succeed. I am an excellent teacher because I really care, therefore I put in extra effort to planning and making lessons effective. When possible, I use materials that match student interests. I foster an emotionally safe learning environment so that students feel comfortable. I keep my interactions with students very positive. I believe that emphasizing what a student does right works better than focusing on mistakes.

Experience Summary

I am passionate about helping students learn. My experience includes: • 2 years as a Reading teacher and 2 years as an ESOL teacher. • 8 years as a tutor. • 2 years as a manager and supervisor. • 10 years in technology and business systems I have a Master’s degree in Language Education, and I hold several Florida teaching certifications including Reading Endorsement. I have tutored elementary, middle and high school students, as well as adults. Subjects tutored include Reading and English.

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.

Sam S

Teaching Style

I find a great deal of personal satisfaction in imparting knowledge to others. I am patient, open-minded and respect the individuality of those with whom I work. At the same time I am dedicated to the progress of those I teach and keep focused on the ultimate educational goal. Nothing is more important, to an individual's happiness and well-being than learning. Learning opens up doors heretofore closed. I recognize and respect the impact a teacher can have on a student's life. A person's education reverberates down through all the years of one's life.

Experience Summary

In my business career one of my most important tasks was to train individuals and groups in the use of computer software. I found it most rewarding to see individuals become more knowledgeable and thus, be able to perform their jobs more efficiently. Another task I performed was as a liaison or translator between technical people and business system users. I was charged with explaining the needs of business users to the technical staff. This required patience and interpersonal skill, so that, all parties became sufficiently knowledgeable to enable a successful result. Both my children had learning disabilities. This necessitated that I insure that homework assignments were completed. I also tutored my children in a wide variety of subjects (spelling, English, math) to supplement the efforts of their teachers. This required a commitment to the learning process and accommodation to their individual learning styles.

Andrea A

Teaching Style

I have a passion for learning, both as a teacher and a student. As a mother of a blended family of seven children, I am also very well versed in the uniqueness of children. Coupled with my diverse background, experience and training, I tailor my efforts to fit the specific needs of each individual child. I also believe that everyone has a preferred learning style and I work to discover those strengths within my students to ensure greater success. I also make a concerted effort to provide interactive lessons that engage the child's imagination in meaningful ways so that their progress is long-lasting. I believe that mistakes are natural, and that they often offer the most significant learning opportunities. With this in mind, my students and I form a warm working relationship in which we learn from one another. I believe every person is an "expert" in something and it is my goal to uncover that for my students and to foster self-confidence and independence as a learner for life. I am passionate about children and about learning, and I consider it an honor to have the opportunity to make a different in a child's life through education and inspiration.

Experience Summary

I love education and I believe it shows in my training. Having first obtained a BA in Studio Art and Psychology, I then went on to attain a Masters degree in social work. I worked with families and children for close to 10 years in this capacity. Through this, my respect for diversity and its effect on learning was deepened. Over time, my desire to inspire children more directly "on the front line" led me to go into teaching. I achieved my Masters degree in Early Childhood Education and worked with preschoolers, special needs students and as a 2nd and 3rd grade classroom teacher. When the first of my four children were born, the many joyful hours I spent reading to them led to my pursuit of certification as a reading specialist. As my family grew, I worked as a substitute reading teacher, and volunteered as a reading assistant in my local schools, from which I was able to hone my assessment skills as well. In this, I also gained insight into the critical importance of reading across the curriculum. Thus, my focus as a tutor switched to reading over the past two years. I also conduct workshops for preschool parents and teachers on developing prereading skills through play. I have been able to use self-created materials to help parents and teachers work with diverse populations. My writing and editing skills have been extended through 15 years (and ongoing) of at-home work as a medical transcriptionist/editor for the leading pediatric hospital in Boston.

Farrah F

Teaching Style

I enjoy teaching and working with students. I now understand that all children learn on their own level and at their own pace. I am very easy going, but I insist that students do their homework and stay after school for extra help if they need it. I grade work off of understanding. It is not always finding the correct answer, but the process to get to the correct answer. I believe that a good teacher makes a good student and I strive to be that good teacher and student.

Experience Summary

I enjoyed tutoring while I was in college working in the math lab for three years. However, now that I have been actually teaching my very own students I have a better understanding of the basics of mathematics and I am a much better student myself.

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.

Jonathan J

Teaching Style

I have learned that in teaching physics and mathematics it is important not only to have a grasp of the broad principles and concepts but to see how they are related and build upon one another. Furthermore, I have seen the success in teaching and practicing physics and mathematics from a problem solving point of view and tend to teach by providing examples to be worked upon and solving problems that typify common physics exam questions. I enjoy teaching to people from all different types of educational background and capabilities and see any subject material as accessible to all provided they are taught in a way most suitable to the individual and strive to find that for every one of my students.

Experience Summary

As a current graduate student of Texas A&M University working towards my PhD in Particle Physics here at Fermi National Accelerator Lab I have had the good fortune to not only experience the passion and interest that research in physics provides, but develop an extensive and diverse teaching experience. With an emphasis on making physics fun and understandable I have had experience in many of the basic physics courses as well as helping develop an outreach course to present the upper level physics ideas (big bang, black holes,...etc) to the mass public in an approachable and understandable way.

Patti P

Teaching Style

Education is the most valuable asset we can provide to our children. Each student is unique and needs to be taught in a manner that brings out their strengths to conquer weaknesses. Every student has the opportunity and ability to learn, though tapping into how each student learns may be a challenge. I believe students at any age are inquisitive by nature and should be able to follow a staircase of "why's" until all the "why's" are answered. Constructive feedback through encouragement is a great way to keep a child inquisitive and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Experience Summary

Working in the field of public safety as a supervisor, I have written numerous training manuals and taught adults in report writing, field training, National Incident Management Systems, Incident Command Systems, Taser Weapons Technology, and Basic Security classes. I have been employed for 10 years with the county and recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. My long term goals are to teach at a university and I am currently working to earn an MBA. While in college, I have tutored students in all areas of the degrees I was seeking, including Statistics, various levels of Math, Finance, and College Writing. I often edit student papers for grammar, spelling, and formatting issues for their final drafts.