Our Tutors In Hawaii

Timothy T

Teaching Style

When I tutor a student, I seek first to understand the student and how he/she thinks. I find it is very important to have good rapport and communication with the student so I understand how he/she views the subject and the difficulties of it. Next I try to make "conceptual bridges" from what they know to what they are having difficulty understanding. This process usually teaches me about seeing the subject from a new point of view. I try to achieve a fine balance between guiding and directing the student’s thoughts on the topic with following the student in their own line of thinking of the subject. The student needs to learn to have confidence in his own thoughts on the subject and in his own ability to master it.

Experience Summary

Over the past four years, I have tutored high school and middle school students in math, algebra, calculus, chemistry, SAT Math, and general study skills. My preference is to tutor math, algebra, calculus, physics, physical science, chemistry, and programming. Math is the subject for which I have the greatest passion. I also participate in the homeschooling of four of my children (13, 11, 8, 6). I have mentored my 13 yr old son in Algebra I & II, Chemistry, Elementary Math, and Middle-school Physical Science, and taught elementary math to my 11, 8, and 6 year olds. Additionally, I read and review history lessons to my kids. I completed my MS in Electrical Engineering in 2006 from The University of Texas at Arlington and my BS in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Philosophy from Rice University. I have recent experience as a student having completed Cellular Biology II at St. Petersburg College in Fall 2011.

James J

Teaching Style

Few things give me as much pleasure as communicating academic concepts to students and seeing the look of understanding on their face. As a result, my teaching style emphasizes understanding of concepts and problem solving techniques. What this means that I don't just tell my students how to get the answer to a particular question. My goal is to enhance their skills so that they can tackle any math or physics problem that is related to the homework problems that are assigned. Furthermore, I ONLY tutor math and physics. This has my specialty and focus for 10 years. Whether you choose me as a tutor or someone else, I think it's always best to pick someone who specializes in a particular area.

Experience Summary

As a Physics Ph.D. I have a strong background in Mathematics and Physics. Currently, I am a senior research scientist in a university lab. This experience has helped me understand how math and science are used in real world applications, which gives me ways to relate these subjects to students in a way that they can appreciate. In other words I can explain what importance that these subjects have in the real world. I have taught physics at the university level for a full year which gives me an insight into what professors expect from students at the college level. Also, I have been a tutor for nearly 10 years.

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.

Carrie C

Teaching Style

I can think of little else that is more rewarding that teaching. It is so wonderful to share knowledge and help another realize how powerful the willingness to learn can be - it can take you anywhere. So my enthusiasm for continuous learning drives my style which is really to take a complex concept and turn it into a real world example that the other individual can grasp. I try to break it down and add some color around each piece so that the other person can really relate and it's no longer an intangible concept. Once the individual can see that they can learn a concept that they originally may have been baffled by, I make sure to let them know that they can learn anything...it just takes some time, some questions, and maybe sometimes some help.

Experience Summary

During my high school and college years I frequently assisted others in learning subjects such as German, chemistry, algebra, business calculus, and economics. During my freshman and sophomore years as a college student I was formally employed as a tutor at the Pennsylvania State University for subjects including economics and business calculus. I earned a BS Accounting with honors degree in 2005 after which I began working at KPMG,LLP - one of the most prestigious and well-known global accounting firms. Employment at KPMG, LLP enabled me to continue my tutoring mentality due to the fast-paced team environment, and I was recognized for my focus on teaching others in 2008 with an award for Developing Others.

Michelle M

Teaching Style

I value the learning styles of each individual student and regardless of subject matter, I emphasize developing study skills to enable the student to apply what he or she learns in every subject/course.

Experience Summary

In the last nine years, I have actively addressed the goals and available resources of diverse student populations. During college, I tutored through several organizations, including AVID, Hermanas Intimas, and the Ophelia Project. Later at San Francisco State University, I served as a Teaching Assistant for two semesters and two departments. Prior to these experiences, I have taught English, ESL, and EFL to native and non-native English speakers domestically as well as internationally. English was not my first language, and I use my own experiences with language and culture to communicate successfully with students from all backgrounds. Furthermore, I am very comfortable with online learning platforms as I have not only taken countless online courses but have also assisted professors in further developing and improving their online courses. I have experience with backend website support and have developed websites as well.

Katherine K

Teaching Style

My passion is learning and my hope is to inspire in my students a genuine love of learning and to help them gain the skills necessary to become lifelong, independent learners. I believe all children can learn in an atmosphere that is encouraging, supportive and structured in such a way as to challenge without discouraging. I believe in authentic learning and in teaching through discovery. I have acquired many different techniques and tools over the years and have learned that there is no one style of teaching that fits all. One reason I enjoy tutoring is that I can take the time to truly know the student and to help them discover which tools work best for them. I strive to make a difference in each of my student's lives.

Experience Summary

I have been actively involved in the field of education for 26 years as a high school English teacher, an elementary reading teacher, and as a school librarian. My teaching career has been varied, including four years working in inner city public schools, 17 years in an exclusive private college preparatory school, and three years as the Director of library services for youth at risk. I graduated summa cum laude and am a member of Phi Beta Kappa with degrees in English, History, Secondary Education and Library Science and have minors in classical literature, romance languages and philosophy. I am a certified Reading Specialist and have trained with the LindaMood Bell reading program. I have worked as a newspaper reporter and done freelance editing and research for local authors. Over the years I have tutored students from elementary school to graduate school in English, history, research, study skills, composition and reading.

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.

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.