About
I have a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, and I practice engineering at Newport News shipbuilding. I use math every day and enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. I am 26 and married, and would like to start using my math skills to tutor children, teens, and young adults in several math areas from basic arithmetic, to algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and differential equations. I practice patience and understanding; I employ examples and analogies to help make learning fun and comprehensive.
Reviews
Josh O.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Get to know the student to develop rapport. Learn about them, what their interests, strengths, and weaknesses are. A friendly attitude creates an atmosphere of a study group with friends instead of a teacher-student atmosphere, to take some of the edge and pressure off the session.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a masters degree in electrical engineering and use math skills in my everyday work as a power engineer at Newport News shipyard. I do not have any tutoring or teaching certifications or training, but that hasn’t stopped me from teaching coworkers, classmates, and children how to improve their math knowledge and skills, in addition to critical thinking skills to help students learn methods for themselves to improve how they learn in their unique style.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Since I don’t have any formal tutoring experience or certifications, I’ll charge the standard minimum rate of 35$/hr or $40/hr. This would be parttime weekly, so this rate will increase to 40$/hr or $50/hr for every hour after the 20th hour for that week.
How did you get started teaching?
I’ve been a leader in my classes during high school, under graduate, and graduate degrees. I continue to teach others at work during my day job as an engineer.
What types of students have you worked with?
Children, teens, young adults, and adults. (Elementary to masters degree level of math)
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
The eureka moment when you see the light bulb turn on in the students eyes.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Learning math is not one size fits all. Though 2+2 will always be 4, there are several ways concepts can be understood and problems solved. It’s important to have a tutor than understands more than one way to communicate a concept and more than one method to demonstrate the solutions to problems. Learning math becomes frustrating when the teaching method is not compatible with the learning style.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What do I know I understand?
what do I think I understand?
what do I not think I understand?
what do I not know I understand?
what makes learning easy for me (lectures, textbooks, examples, practice, quizzes, games)?
what makes learning hard for me (am I afraid that teachers or classmates will judge me or think I’m not smart if I ask questions or admit I don’t know something? Are my questions not answered clearly and I don’t ask a follow up question?)