Your Tutor

Determine exactly what material is a challenge to the student. Learn how the student thinks, which might be very different how I think. Understand how the material is currently presented to them. It is important I use his/her teacher's method, not necessarily mine.

I am a retired Aerospace Engineer, certified Six Sigma Black Belt, past Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige Quality program, teacher at the University of Phoenix and Cardinal Stritch University, and 18-year tutor of local high students.

I became a cerfified trainer of professional engineers at Honeywell Aerospace. I then stretched my talents to teaching at The University of Phoenix during evenings. All of this carried into my retirement as a passion for teaching.

High school students find Algebra is especially challenging. They can get very frustrated with the concept of "unknowns", like X and Y. It's quite a leap from working with clear numbers.

In a recent visit I proposed ways of understanding geometry involving measurements of features of his home, like its height, without climbing a ladder. He took to the task with enthusiasm and took measurements on his own.

I would ask the student what is the easiest material to understand and what is the most difficult. That provides me with the scope of the student's grasp of the material. I can then start with easy material and use it to learn the tougher stuff.

In general, students find it very difficult to ask for help. They perceive it as a weakness. Most requests come from parents who watch their child struggle with the material. Students and parents should engage in regular conversations on progress and when there are roadblocks to understanding, students should approach the teacher with the specific areas of difficulty.