About
My name is Ian Joffe and I offer math tutoring services to students in elementry school, middle school, and high school. I have succeeded in boosting the grades of every student that I have worked with, but perhaps more importantly, I have often been able to rekindle a legitimate enjoyment of math with many.
Despite being only 19 years old, I have several years of experience as a math tutor, working with all grades and math levels from elementry school through geometry. Being a recent high school graduate (and current UC Berkeley Sophomore studying engineering) allows me to better relate and connect to other students. Additionally, compared with older tutors I am more familiar with modern math teaching methods and working with newer curriculum, such as Common Core.
This 2020 Fall semester is a great time to seek math tutoring. With high uncertainty surrounding the quality and even more so quantity of teacher-to-student facetime, I look to supplement everything that teachers are working to do, and make sure that my students stay ahead in the fundemental math concepts they will need for future years. Tutoring sessions will be over video call for the time being, and I'm open to both individuals and groups.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
With any new student, I generally look to take one pilot session to make sure they like my teaching style. I ask that the student bring some homework they were working, a lesson from the textbook that they are studying, or a test they just got back to go over. This both helps me assess where a student is at and helps the student learn how I like to go through problems.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
I generally charge $30 per hour and teach weekly lessons of 60 and 90 minutes. Pricing and timing are both flexible.
How did you get started teaching?
I was inspired to start teaching math because of my love of the subject itself. I have always found enjoyment in learning brand new math concepts, and I wanted to pass that enthusiasm along to other students. In addition to liking math itself, I have fun teaching, and I got started tutoring because I wanted to combine my enjoyment of tutoring and mathematics. My first few students were found online, and from there word of mouth took off to help me get other students.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with a versitile group of students, ranging in age between eight and fifteen. Similarly, I have taught math subjects from elementary school concepts to Algebra and Geometry. While the majority of my students are working with me to catch up or keep pace in their classes, I have also worked with a few students who are already advanced, and want to learn more above and beyond the curriculum. No matter how you are doing in your current course, I can use that experience to know what skills need to be reinforced for more advanced, and also often more interesting math.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Ask questions. Teachers like myself love to help, in fact, that's what we have chosen to do for our jobs, but we can only get as far as we are led by the student. Nothing is more helpful than when students tell us exactly what they are confused about, or what they want to see explained again or in a different way. As a fellow student, I understand that it's sometimes difficult to know exactly what my question is about, or sometimes it just doesn't feel useful to ask at all, and I take it as part of my job to help the student master question-asking.