Our Tutors In Iowa

Ali A

Teaching Style

I enjoy class discussion and participation when I am teaching in classroom. I would recommend my students to review the course ahead of time. Once I explain the subject, it will clarify any ambiguity. The other strategy that I use is to ask the students to pretend that they are the teacher and have them explain it back to me. This has been one of the best methods that help students realize whether they have understood the concept.

Experience Summary

I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. I began teaching organic chemistry, shortly after my graduation, as a Teaching Assistant (TA). In that capacity, I held discussion sections in which I reviewed the subject in detail and worked with students in the laboratory. I worked with groups of twenty students in secondary discussion sections and laboratory experiments. At the same time, I worked as a tutor in science courses such as physics, chemistry, biology and math. As a premed student, I have been teaching MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) courses in biology, organic chemistry and general chemistry. I am very enthusiastic about teaching and feel privileged to be able to help others.

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.

Natalie N

Teaching Style

With my tutoring experience I have learned that each child learns and comprehends material on an individual level. With that said, it is essential that a teacher understand his/her students' strengths and weaknesses. My goal is to help my students discover how they learn so that they will benefit from their education. In a tutoring atmosphere it is important for students to see how they can apply learning techniques to their future classrooms. Additionally, I believe that students gain the most from education when they are actively involved rather than becoming overwhelmed with information. In order to ensure their engagement, I will understand how they learn and present material accordingly. I am patient with children, and I am passionate that each child can excel if he/she is willing.

Experience Summary

I have earned two bachelor degrees, BA in Elementary Education and BA in English, and have had experience tutoring in both of these fields. As an education student I volunteered in elementary school classrooms and tutored students in a variety of subjects. I have spent the past three years in writing centers working with undergraduate and graduate students, helping them in paper organization, grammar, and concise writing. Additionally, I have worked in a local tutoring center where I aided students in a variety of subjects from preschool reading to high school SAT prep in English.

Sharon S

Teaching Style

I love teaching and working with young people of all ages and abilities. It is my belief that all students have the ability to learn, so they can succeed and gain the confidence in their abilities. In order to help children reach their highest potential, I believe that each one should be given personalized and individualized instruction that is based on their given abilities and skills. I am a patient, helpful, and kind person. Over the years, I have become flexible in the way I teach as each child learns differently and deserves the needed respect to help them reach their dreams and goals.

Experience Summary

As a graduate from Briar Cliff College, I have always enjoyed learning and wanting to help others succeed. I have earned a BA degree in Elementary Education, in which I have taught in the classroom for 2 years, but have also taught at a learning center for a total of 5 years. While in college, I participated in the AmeriCorps tutoring program, in which I privately tutored a few students, along with students in a school setting during the day. Recently, I have been privately tutoring a high school student and a kindergartener mainly for math, reading, English, and writing.

Katherine K

Teaching Style

Throughout my teaching experience I have encountered students of all ages and abilities, from high school students with learning differences to adult learners of ESL. I believe each student is unique and brings their own set of experiences and strengths to the material to be learned, necessitating an adaptable teaching style. I am experienced in the communicative approach and believe each students learns best through discovery and by utilizing their particular intelligence. I am patient, relaxed and treat each student with respect. I think students learn best when they are having fun and have a trusting relationship with their teacher.

Experience Summary

While working towards my bachelors degree in English (with a minor in Political Science), I worked as a substitute teacher in the public school system for a year and a half, in order to ascertain my affinity for many different levels and subjects. My writing and grammatical skills are excellent; in 2004 I was awarded First Place in Undergraduate Writing at the University of North Florida. My first professional teaching experience complemented my areas of expertise perfectly: I taught English as a Foreign Language to business professionals in Argentina for six months, using the communicative approach. During this time I learned much about South American politics and culture, as well as the Spanish language. Upon return I taught English to high school students for one year at a private school for students with learning disabilities and emotional/ behavioral problems. This summer, I have again taught international students at a Berlitz ESL program, ELS Language Center. Throughout the years I have also tutored and worked with students one on one many times, specifically with rudimentary reading and writing.

Lucille L

Teaching Style

My students know I love math. I am enthusiastic, patient, and caring. I believe everyone can learn math given the right circumstances. I take interest in my students, I email them, I encourage them to do their homework. Through this personal interest, my students work to please the teacher. I also use different teaching styles: discovery learning, Look-Do-Learn, one-to-one instruction, critical thinking. Once a student, always a student for me. I go the extra mile.

Experience Summary

From an early age I loved math and so when I graduated with a BA in Math and Latin, I went straight into teaching math at the high school level. During graduate school years, I taught math at the University of Toronto. While working with computer programming, I taught math in the evening division of Westbury College in Montreal. I have taught math in different countries: Jamaica, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Nigeria-West African Educational Council, The Bahamas, and Florida.

Davorin D

Teaching Style

From my tutoring experience, I have noticed that students have trouble understanding the meaning of numbers and symbols on paper simply because no one has taught them how to visualize and interpret them in a real world situation. They also don't realize that they have plethora of resources and tools available to them to help them, yet they rarely utilize them. I try to give hints and clues to my students and let them obtain the right answers on their own instead of simply solving the problem for them. I believe this gives them a much better understand of the material.

Experience Summary

Having recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree, I am continuing my education to obtain my Master's degree in mathematics. Number Theory will be my focus, as I intend to get involved in the encryption field. During my senior year as undergraduate, I have worked on campus as a teacher's assistant and at home as an online tutor for UNCG's iSchool program. I have privately tutored undergraduates needing help in pre-calculus and calculus. I enjoyed helping the students and showing them some of my own tricks and ways when it comes to solving the problems.

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.