Our Tutors

Jennifer J

Teaching Style

As an elementary and middle school Language Arts teacher I believe instruction should be tailored to the needs of the individual learner and to the needs of the community. I have had the opportunity to teach in a variety of settings and ability levels. Students confidently excel when they are in a learning environment that is tailored to their abilities and needs. I strive to build a relationship of respect with each student. I am focused, student-centered, and knowledgeable of subject matter. I can create and foster an environment that motivates students and helps them to learn.

Experience Summary

I have earned a bachelor of science degree in Elementary Education, a Reading and Literacy minor, and an endorsement in Middle School Education. As a teacher my students succeeded in reading literacy/comprehension, and improved their overall writing skills by several grade levels. After a successful teaching experience in Language Arts, theater, and journalism at the middle school level, I sought a master of arts degree in Educational Administration. Working in school leadership enabled me to focus on creating a real-world language arts curriculum, and improving student motivation and achievement.

Tony T

Teaching Style

My teaching style is similar to the management style I employed as an editor. I prefer to be a coach rather than a top-down administrator. I urge my students to not accept mediocrity and instead strive for excellence in all they do. My goal is to make them better writers and better people with a sense of ethics and responsibility to themselves and society. I preach that good writing comes from hard work and research and a mastery of the English language, which I also encourage them to strive for.

Experience Summary

After several years as a journalist, writer and editor, I had the opportunity in 2001 to teach writing courses at Orange Coast College. Because teaching had always been of interest to me, I took the offer and have enjoyed it ever since. Teaching seems to fit me well. My students tell me all the time how I'm the best teacher they've ever had, and my student evaluations support that. It is so fulfilling to me to see my students go on and succeed in life, sometimes changing courses and pursuing a career in writing because of me. I don't teach so much for the money but for the enjoyment I receive in educating young minds. Other experiences include being an English literacy tutor at the Huntington Beach library, teaching ESL learners how to read in English to their American born children. Another very fulfilling role.

Douglas D

Teaching Style

I find that demonstration though example is the first step to understanding. This allows for an initial exposure to the material and plants seeds of knowledge. Adjuvant to demonstration, motivation and enthusiasm to learn the material must be taught. All the homework in the world cannot replace this! Regrettably, students often struggle due to poor instruction or vague textbooks which erode a student’s motivation. Fortunately this can be overcome with a little outside assistance. My long term goal of teaching is to foster a mature understanding of the subject matter. To master a subject it must be learned from multiple angles before the bigger picture is illuminated. Once a subject is illuminated it must be continually revisited for long-term retention.

Experience Summary

To me education is a way of life. My academic career has been driven by a thirst for knowledge. I have earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, during which my math, physics, biology, engineering (mechanical and electrical), and other science skills were cultivated. Afterward, I spent another year pursuing a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, which further strengthened those skills. During this program I was contracted to teach biomedical computer science for sophomore level students. With higher academic hopes, I left the M.S. program, to complete a Ph.D. in Biophysics with an emphasis on MRI physics. My multi-disciplinary doctoral training had a heavy emphasis on math, physics, and biologic sciences. The doctoral training greatly increased my reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as, strengthened my grammar and writing skills, which were needed to produce scientific publications. Throughout this training I gave lectures to graduate, undergraduate, and high school students on MR physics.

Zebunnisa Z

Teaching Style

I am a young, enthusiastic, and dedicated teacher/tutor. I truly care about my students and aim to help them achieve academic success as well as to help them grow as individuals. Through my experience as a teacher, I have developed a teaching style that I can adapt to the unique needs of my students.

Experience Summary

As a Math major during both my undergraduate and graduate studies, I have developed a great knowledge of the subject. I began peer tutoring while completing my Bachelor's at Stonybrook and have been tutoring ever since. I have tutored middle school through college level mathematics, but the majority of my tutoring experience has been in high school subjects.

Saravana S

Teaching Style

While teaching, I constantly seek input from my students. I always try to make them feel comfortable in class, and to let them know that they are the key to the success of the class. I try to encourage them to participate very often, and welcome all their questions and comments. I usually have my students work in groups to discuss problems. I use small groups (of 3 people) because they take the least time to organize, and they are the easiest to adjust to for those who always work on their own. I also encourage them to get together to do math problems outside the classroom.

Experience Summary

I worked as a teaching assistant in Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry courses while I worked toward my own master’s degree at the University of South Dakota. This experience gave me the opportunity to transfer from online tutoring to classroom teaching and individual tutoring. The total experience has educated me with the ability to handle students based on their own style and teach them the subject in creative way.

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.

Janette J

Teaching Style

I believe each child in unique, therefore each child has their unique learning style. Therefore, I tend to provide a variety of learning methods. If one method isn't understood, I move on to another one. I think learning should be fun, so I will occasionally play learning games where students feel relaxed while learning. I always provide rewards and incentives to encourage participation and increase self-esteem. One of the most important things I believe children need to succeed is a positive sense of self. When a child feels frustrated or hopeless they are less likely to want to improve. I begin praising at the students current level of acheivement and then continue throughout the entire tutoring process!

Experience Summary

I am currently a tutor for a public school system. I tutor students who are at or below their current grade level. I hold a license in Early Childhood Education- K to 3rd grades. My reading tutoring involves phonemic awareness, sightwords, word attack strategies, comprehension and fluency. When I tutor math I use a variety of math concepts, manipulative, flashcards, worksheets. I am willing to collaborate with teachers to enhance classroom learning and homework skills. I have many years of experience educating children in private Preschool and Kindergarten settings. I have also earned a bachelors degree in Family and Consumer Studies with a concentration in Child Development.

Lori L

Teaching Style

I believe that students are wary of mathematics and statistics because they appear clinic and distant, with little to do with the “real” world. To educate I try to create dynamic and above all relevant “uses” for the lessons. My experiences have exposed me to different teaching styles and class formats and allowed me to develop a teaching philosophy that encompasses the best of all these methods. My philosophy is best described with reference to six primary concepts: 1. Knowledge conveyed in a relevant context 2. Interaction with each student and the material 3. Passion for teaching and the subject 4. Adaptability 5. Creativity in teaching methods and 6. Respect between the student and the teacher All students seek knowledge; it’s the teacher’s role to facilitate learning and guide them along the path. A successful lesson is one in which the student comes out seeing the world a little differently.

Experience Summary

During my education and career, the teaching of others has featured prominently in my personal goals and life objectives. While attending high school, I tutored fellow students professionally in subjects ranging from basic algebra to complex calculus. My undergraduate degree was in the field of Mathematics and Statistics with an additional biological statistics certificate and at present I am completing my Masters of Science in statistics. My understandings of these fields lead to my recruit by a number of professors and researchers to provide assistance and advisement on statistical analysis of their projects. In addition to assisting my professors, I was also selected to be a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and was also selected to conduct "stand alone" courses. I have a strong passion for these subjects and I believe my years of teaching experience have given me the insight, patience and ability to convey the complex world of mathematics and statistics to my students.