About
I have been providing online tutoring services since early 2013, with consistently good reviews from my students. I am excited to make the move to Tutors.com, because this platform will allow me to better meet my students' needs by explaining any prerequisite concepts that they may need to know so that they don't feel confused by the lessons they're working on.
I have a diverse academic background, with strong college-level subject knowledge in the following areas:
Science--Chemistry, physics, medically-related biology (Human anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, immunology, and medical microbiology)
Music--Piano performance, music theory, aural skills (ear training and sight singing), and the history of Western music
Information Technology--Computer repair and various computer applications, including Microsoft Excel and Access.
The thing I enjoy most about the work I do is opening up whole new areas of knowledge to my students. Many of my favorite subjects happen to have a reputation for being difficult and confusing, and I like showing students how with some foundational concepts, you'll find that they don't have to be so hard or scary after all, and can even be really fascinating!
Highlights
Reviews
Heather H.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
When working with new students, I first need to figure out where they are in their course, and how far they got before the material started to seem difficult and confusing. Has this student felt confident in his understanding of the class so far except for this one lesson that just came up, or has he felt lost for the last three weeks (or three months)? It's important to get the student caught up on prerequisite knowledge so that the subject matter on his current assignment will seem easy enough when I explain it.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
-5 years' experience providing text-and-whiteboard online tutoring in physics and math to students in junior high, high school, college, and the military
-Studied prerequisite classes toward a Medical Laboratory Science program (essentially the same classes as my peers who were on the pre-med track) at the Oregon Institute of Technology, received straight A's except for one term of organic chemistry.
-Received an associate's degree from Southwestern Oregon Community College with an emphasis in music (taking all the same classes a music major would take at a school that offered a degree in music, plus some classes in various scientific fields and IT/computer repair).
Here is a list of subjects that I have the expertise to tutor at the high school and college level:
SCIENCE AND MATH
-General Chemistry
-Physics
-Math up through algebra
(I did get straight A's in math up through college calculus, but feel that I may be a little rusty with math above algebra since I haven't studied it in several years.)
MUSIC CLASSES
-Piano performance (i.e. piano lessons)
-Music theory
-Aural skills (ear training, sight singing, etc.)
-Music history/music literature/music appreciation
COMPUTER CLASSES
-IT essentials 1&2
-Microsoft Office (I took specific college classes in Excel and Access)
-Anything involving computer repair or basic computer skills
How did you get started teaching?
I grew up as the son of a high school math teacher (who also taught Spanish 1&2 along with various computer-related classes since versatility is a must for a small-school teacher). He would stay after school for about an hour every day to help tutor students who were struggling in his classes, and when I was in high school, sometimes he would invite me to stay and help with some of the tutoring work myself. Those occasions were some of my first experiences with tutoring, and I found it to be rewarding.
After getting my associate's degree from SWOCC, I got a job with an online tutoring site providing text-and-whiteboard tutoring in math and physics (something I also mentioned in my training and credentials). I gained a lot of valuable experience during my 5-year relationship with that online tutoring company, but I am looking forward to building my clientele on this platform!
What types of students have you worked with?
Mostly students in junior high through college and the military, but have occasionally worked with younger students, particularly when teaching piano lessons.