About
I am a professional tutor building my own private practice, so you can now use my expert services at a price far lower than hiring through a company!
I am an aspiring actor who thrives in social atmospheres and loves connecting with other people, so communicating ideas comes easily to me. Couple that with my background in science (BA Biology, Lafayette College, Class of 2011) and writing tutoring [Writing Associate (in English and Spanish), Lafayette Writing Program, 2009-2011], and you get the perfect tutor.
I have been working for a professional tutoring company since the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, and have worked with students on a wide variety of subjects; For middle schoolers, I tend to give general all-subject tutoring, and for high schoolers I have tutored the following subjects: Geometry, Algebra 1 and 2, Pre-Calculus, Calculus (through AP Calc AB), Biology (throught the AP level), Chemistry (through the AP level), creative and argumentative writing skills, and general study and organizational skills.
All in all, I am prepared to help your student become the best they can be!
When I was a kid, as much as I wanted to play and hang out with my friends, I really did love learning. I was lucky in that regard, because it made learning easy. Call me a nerd if you will, but I just deeply enjoyed the process of grasping new information to be able to better understand the world (and I still do). Too often do I see students who haven't been provided with that same sense of wonder towards all of the things they can learn, and that's such a shame to me. Either they're lacking the foundation they need to jump into a new class, or they've had a few rough quizzes and lost their motivation. Maybe the importance of the topic at hand hasn't been made clear to them, or sadly, maybe their teacher is an obstacle to learning. At either rate, being able to inspire a student into learning again and make their learning process not only easy but enjoyable is the most rewarding thing I get to do with my job. Seeing those "aha" moments in a student's eyes, or discussing a topic and hearing, "Wow, that's cool!" is my favorite thing about being a tutor, because that tells me I'm fostering that same sense of joyful learning in my students that I used to have when I was a student.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I talk with the parents and student beforehand and make sure everyone's expectations are on the same page, and that I have a full understanding of the issue at hand. Once we've established what the problem is in a particular class (it usually has less to do with the course material and more with some other extenuating circumstance), I develop a plan to tackle the current course material while correcting whatever the issue might be, whether its proper organizational skills, a lack of foundational material understanding, or just a tough teacher. My work comes from not only understanding the subject material, but having a great understanding of people and why they do or do not succeed academically.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I always excelled in math and science, receiving a 5 on the AP Biology and AP Calculus AB test in 2007. I have, though, always been a fan of the arts and literature and also received a 4 on the AP English Language and Composition test. I pursued my degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish at Lafayette College intending to become a doctor, but I never lost my love for the arts. I quickly became a bilingual Writing Associate (a type of writing tutor employed by the College Writing Program) and was granted an EXCEL Scholar position, a research assistantship in Spanish under Dr. Juan Rojo.
Despite my education, that love for the arts kept nagging me, and I decided to pursue acting after college. I moved to Los Angeles in 2012 and worked rather stereotypically as a table waiter for some time, but I realized my best skills were not being put to use, and I was having no fun without using my mind in my daily work. I started working for a professional tutoring firm in 2017 and have loved every minute of it. My employers have frequently been awed at my work as a relatively new tutor, but honestly I find it easy in that I love the subject material and I instinctively care about the kids I deal with and their education. At my company, I have also settled into lots of "Executive Function" tutoring, tutoring that is geared towards developing organizational and study skills, especially for kids with learning differences like ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$70/hr, one hour/wk minimum.
How did you get started teaching?
See my training and qualifications :)
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with students from 7th to 12th grade, and I have worked with students with a wide variety of learning differences.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Go with your gut and pick the tutor you connect with the most. You don't get to pick your teachers, but you get to pick your tutor, so pick one you like! A good interpersonal relationship between you and your tutor will lead to easy communication and flow of information that you might not be afforded in school.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
You don't need to have answers to all of these, but introspective questions like these will help identify your obstacles:
What do I want to get out of school? How does this fit into my life as a whole?
Why do I need help with THIS subject?
Do I like the subject? Or SCHOOL for that matter? And if not, why not?
Moment to moment, how do I study for this subject? What works and what doesn't?