About
I have a Ph.D. in Mathematics, I am Education Certified in Illinois, and I love tutoring math. I am qualified to tutor for any math course from middle school up through college graduation level. This includes the full calculus sequence and well beyond, plus math-heavy courses like statistics. At the very advanced college math majors upper class level, there are some courses that I might be less comfortable tutoring, but contact me and we can discuss it.
Tutoring high level material is fun. But unlike many Ph.D. Mathematicians, I greatly enjoy working with students struggling even with basic material. Now in my 9th year as a professional tutor, I have worked with hundreds of students and I’ve learned how to find a student’s level — whether having issues on how to prove a vector space, or issues on how to add fractions — and bring them along from there.
www.phgmath.com
R. Philip Grizzard, Ph.D.
Founder and Principal Tutor
Education
1998 B.S. Mathematics & Math Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2000 M.S. Mathematics, Illinois State University
Taught: College Algebra Math 119 and Finite Math 120.
2007 Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago
Taught: Calculus I & II, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra
Certification and Professional Organizations
State of Illinois 6-12 Education certified
Mathematical Association of America
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
American Mathematical Society, Life Member
Recent academic work experience
2011-present Tutor for Ph.G. Math Tutoring, Bloomington-Normal, IL.
2011-present Manager of Ph.G. Tutoring, Tucson, Arizona
2010-2011 Founder and tutor for Ph.G. Tutoring, Tucson, Arizona
2010 Instructor, Pima Community College, Tucson, Arizona
2007-2010 Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Arizona
Taught: Math in Modern Society, Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, College Algebra, PreCalculus, Calculus, Linear Algebra
I really like doing the math problems, but what I enjoy most is getting to know the student. I love laughing a lot, having inside jokes -- it makes the whole thing fun, and makes the student comfortable and enjoying themselves rather than scared and miserable. Students learn so much better when they are comfortable -- and it's a lot more fun for me too! :)
Details
Grade level
Type of math
Photos and videos
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I offer a free consultation, so we can meet for free before you decide if you want to work with me. The consultation lasts only a few minutes, and depending on the timing, I might have time immediately after our consultation for our first appointment.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a unique set of qualifications and skills. I have a Ph.D. in Math and I am Secondary Education Certified in Illinois. I'm also a campus minister, so I spend a lot of time with students both in working and in social settings. I can discuss theoretical mathematics with university professors, and I can also giggle with 8th graders to make them feel comfortable doing math with me. (And also because it's fun.)
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Rates vary by tutor and frequency of meeting. All details are at www.phgmath.com.
How did you get started teaching?
I student taught at the middle school and high school levels before going to graduate school in math. During graduate school, I was a teaching assistant or sole instructor for more than 20 classes. After my Ph.D., I served as a Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Arizona before starting my professional tutoring career. I have taught virtually every level of math in the classroom from elementary algebra through calculus through linear algebra. But I found that I loved working one-on-one with students more than teaching in front of a class, so I left academia and started my tutoring business. It has been my livelihood since 2010.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with hundreds of students -- as young as 8 and as old as 60. The vast majority of my students are in Junior High, High School, or College. I've worked with students from struggling at the lowest levels to valedictorians to advanced college math majors.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I love it when my students feel comfortable enough not only to joke with me, but to be sassy in a fun way. Yesterday I was working with a 9th grade girl. After I pointed out a mistake she made, she pointed to a 2 that I had written sloppily and said, deadpan, "Is that a Z?" She then bent over laughing. It's one of those things where you have to be there for it to be funny, but it's so great to be there in that space with the student.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
I would suggest that you think about the cost of not getting the help that you need. Certainly there is a financial cost -- having to retake standardized exams, retake classes, or even delaying getting a degree. These costs are thousands and thousands of dollars. And scholarships are often dependent upon standardized test scores and GPA. Spending several hundred dollars for a superior tutor might sound like a lot of money until you consider its value.
But there are other benefits to succeeding that can't be measured in dollars. What if you actually enjoyed the material? What if you gained confidence and felt like you could do it? What if started seeing how you can use what you're learning in your life? What if you learned something significant about yourself and your ability to overcome hardship and do difficult things? You're much more likely to have these things happen with a tutor than in a classroom.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Talking to teachers who are giving you lessons and grading you is very different than talking with a tutor. With a tutor, you can (and should) be totally, thoroughly honest. If you haven't understood anything in class for the past month, you're not going to want to admit that to your teacher, but your tutor needs to know it to help you the best. Same if you missed class.
A tutor is someone in your corner: there for no other reason but to help you with no authority over you. This relationship allows you to be free of other considerations, like grades and peer pressure.