About
I have been working tutoring/teaching in the math and software arena for more than 20 years. I love math and computer science and communicating new ideas with people. Working with students in my passion. I love sharing ideas and often find that students have different insights into solving a problem.
I am a certified Scrum Master, certified Scrum Product Owner, and certified Microsoft Professional.
I have presented in conferences overseas (such as Innsbruck, Austria) at the Human-computer interaction conference in 2008. I have also been a professional game developer working for UbiSoft on such games as "Ghost Recon Future Solider".
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ratliff/
Personal Website (still under construction): http://www.mattratliff.net
I started out where you are and through much work and effort am now mentoring college students. I have been in your shoes and understand your frustrations. My goal for you is to present the material to you in a way that is easy to understand and memorable. I take pride in the successes of each of my students and strive to see each of them succeed.
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
1. Introduce myself and briefly talk about what I've done and how I can help them.
2. Find out something about them and the struggles that he/she is having with the material.
3. Develop a plan for how to best help the student based on his/her current situation.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science and Information Systems from UNC. I have been a professional software engineer since 1997 and have worked as an instructor and department chair for a college during my career. I am currently mentoring students from Virgiina Tech and Radford introducing them to new concept and preparing them for their future careers.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$15-20/hour is my standard rate
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching as a tutor in college, where I tutored classes such as algebra, computer math, calculus, linear algebra, and physics. I have been working both as a teach and a software engineer during my 20 years as a career professional.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with high school students, students in community colleges, as well as students at Virginia Tech and Radford University.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I recently adopted a cat that was in danger of going to a shelter. It was one my friends who had to move to an apartment that didn't take pets. My wife and I adopted this cat and he has gotten along very well with our other cat. i am glad to be able to give him a good home.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Look for a teacher that has patience and listens to what you are saying. Communication is the key attribute in any student/mentor relationship (as I stated in a blog that I wrote about it: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-essential-qualities-effective-mentor-ratliff-mcp-csm-cspo/.
Also, be sure that the teacher has a good understanding of what he/she is teaching. Don't be afraid to ask questions about their background as well as asking them if they understanding certain aspects of what you need to know (such as "what is the pythagorean theorem and when would I use it?". Some teachers may get offended by those types of questions, but good teachers will understand that you're just trying to be sure that they understand what they are teaching.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
I always tell my students to set a time limit on trying to figure something out. Give yourself 30 minutes or so and if you can't figure out something then write down your questions and your thoughts. The teacher can use this to know what you're thinking and how to direct you to better understand the concept.
During that time period ask yourself:
1. What are the basic steps that you need to know to get the problem solved?
2. Is there any step that you don't understand and if so write down your questions about it.
3. Think about how you would apply the concept. It is not just important to know how to understand how to solve a problem, but how the solution is used. If you don't know what it is used for then write those types of questions down as well.