All of
Tai’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Tai’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
ADD/ADHD
I have worked with students with Aspergers, ADHD, and other issues that have hindered their focus on the material covered in outside of a normal class room settings. Students that are stongly active should have a different approach to discovering the strong interests of the child and what their goals in vocation might be. By talking, playing with paper, or presenting visual information, one should be able to observe and discover the child's learning style that is dominant and link this with their interests to present the subject matter that is engaging. Personally, I had a sister that had petite mal and was mis-assessed as being mentally retarded. Her son suffered from some ADD/ADHD and my wife and I obtained extra help in how to deal with and help progress his situation to become more highly functional as well. Sometimes the lack of structure or parental or guardian support may hamper a child in developing social skills and learning skills. In a personal universe, we must not fail a child because they do not fit in the type of educational style the culture imposes upon them in the class room. By using other visual, auditory and tactile aids that work with the dominant learning style is a way to approach the situation. If the child loves stories, this is another approach to weave a lesson into a story. As public education does not deal well with exceptions to the norm, it does not mean the child is defective. I would tend to think the first responsibility for education starts with family and it is delegated to the city or state as a trust. If they fail to provide a personally environment that can aid the child to succeed, then it is best to go to specialists. If the funding for specialists is not available publicly, it is still the calling of the parent to protect and nurture the child in a wholesome learning environment. This is my philosophy and practice to which I hold myself and others I tutor. If I can help the child to mentor others of similar learning styles, then we are training a mentor/tutor for a future to help others. My goals are to bring a child to their potential where I can and challenge them through cross learning other styles, if that will aid them in mastering other subject materials. If you need someone to help assess the situation, I do not charge for that. If I can help and you are committed, we can work towards the best approaches to help your child succeed. There is no magic wand, this will take work and there can be fun in the process as well.
Algebra 2
I am a Math major with a Computer Science Option from Cal Poly State University at San Luis Obispo. I enjoy making math easy to understand and work practically with your goals.
As a volunteer, I have tutored at the Modesto Public Library on Computer Basics and Internet and mentor/tutored with my wife, Kathy, for Shooting Stars 4-H on the Record Book Project using Microsoft Word, Excel and other applications to youth so they can aid their family, friends and community. In Minnesota, I tutored a physician's daughter in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, College Math, Physics and Chemistry. It was very fun and rewarding.
Bible Studies
I have taken Old and New Testament Bible Survey courses at the Central Coast School of the Bible as a youth and have read the scriptures in a number of different translations such as KJV, NASB, NIV, Amplified, Hebrew, Greek with the aid of inter-linear Bible tools such as concordances and commentaries. Having read various books on Hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible and what to avoid), and lead Bible studies with friends, youth groups, AWANA, IVCF, and other church and para-church organizations, and having benefited from good mentors from L'Abri Fellowship, the Rochester Chinese Christian Fellowship, Ransom Fellowship, as well, I am equipped to lead, mentor other to break down a passage of Scripture using the inductive method as one of the means to illumine and guide to apply the passages to our every day lives.
Whether you are looking to examine the Scriptures as to their authenticity, authority, or applicability as literature or beyond, we can explore any issues you desire. I have been acquainted with the Bible for more than fifty years as literature and more.
COBOL
Prior to 1978, I took a course on COBOL at Cal Poly and found this programming language to be quite useful for a Business Analyst (BA) and allowed a BA to encode Business processes and requirements into the procedural language. I was part of a team of developers that implemented the COBOL Compiler for the IBM System/38, where the database was externalized and this separation became the advent of Object Oriented Programming for years to come. Later, I had the honor of using the language to deal with real world warehouse applications for a large distribution center. I have compared this with RPG and other languages and found it to be a valuable language yet for older and legacy systems and still is a vital language that can be extended on the IBM Power Systems with ILE. Yes, COBOL is a language that has earned a right to go onto the next generation of languages due to its founding principles of helping the Business owners see their ideas and processes more clearly than other languages. Having studied and helped to birth, improve, extend and use the language, I do feel I would be able to tutor this subject from various perspectives.
Computer Programming
I have a degree in Mathematics with a Computer Science Option from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and have been in the Computer programming industry since 1978 starting with IBM. Having worked with compilers and various computer languages, I can instruct in any languages supported on IBM Mid-Range Systems and have access to the following languages such as C++, CL, COBOL, RPG, SQL and others as well on IBM Power Systems. Having written applications for packages in data warehousing, inventory, accounts payable and accounts receivable, general ledger. as well as systems programming and creating utilities to handle often used routines for business or fun. If you would like to explore writing applications or other platforms, we can even connect remotely to work together. Distance is not an issue when you have the Internet. As long as you have a way on, I have multiple systems to work on such as Windows XP,Vista, Unbutu, Linux Mint and Mac as well or we can work on your system using remote tools as well. There are lots of possibilities and you can choose to grow in knowledge and wisdom from a veteran of the software industry. I have named only a few of the languages to explore and work with, so if you have one I am not familiar with and want a partner to learn together, contact me and we can practice some extreme programming as well. Not to boast, but to give credence to my skills, I have code that is still working from 1978 and applications and utilities that are self-correcting as well. I love to construct computer systems that are easy to use and a charm to maintain for the wise knowledge worker.
Computer Science
I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics with a Computer Science Option from the time frame Computer Science was not major as yet form California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. I was directly hired to Rochester, Minnesota, to work with IBM on the back end of compilers for 3 1/2 years on the System/38. I later made my career working on the succeeding IBM Midrange Systems dealing with programming, administration, business analysis, security,development, support, design, networking, and making technology applicable and easy to use and self maintaining. I continue to teach Computer Basics and Internet to the public and youth on a volunteer basis to aid the students to become mentor/teachers in technology.
I continue to pick up technology and contrast what is usable, what can be improved, and how to apply teaching it to be easy to use and accessible and safe using safeguards to my clients and students. I have been doing this for more than thirty years and continue to learn and advance in Computer Science and Engineering to apply this to friends and neighbors when asked for advice.
ESL/ESOL
English is my second language as well, however, I had speech therapy to correct my Ls and Rs and was quite fascinated with the American Language and other languages. In junior high I had some Spanish. In high school, I took two years of French. At Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, I learned the American Phonetic Alphabet has 48 sounds though we only have 26 letters and we have different points of articulation than some other languages. I also picked up some German, Mandarin and Hebrew there. Later I went to the University of North Dakota to study with the Summer Institute of Linguistics. There I was trained with the International Phonetic Alphabet. So first hand, I not only learned English as Second Language, and have learned how to learn other languages that do not have a written language as well as to study other known languages as well. I love hearing other languages and helping people to use technology to accelerate learning languages as well.
GED
I have a degree in Math with a Computer Science option but before I graduated from High School, I was fortunate to have two older siblings that mentor/tutored me to get down the ABCs and 123s. As an immigrant, my parents encouraged us to try our best and learn to open doors for the future. I was blessed to have the support of family and extended family as well to pick up Trigonometry in third grade, since the brothers helped me to memorize the multiplication tables up to 25, my cousins lent them an Algebra II Trig book since things at elementary school were no challenging. I realize that some taking the GED now are not as fortunate to stay in one location or have the support of family to focus on this important milestone. Passing the GED opens doors to other employment opportunities. Let me help you do this. I am a mentor/tutor and assess those I have as students as to their learning style and look for ways to connect the dots and put the pieces of the puzzle in place so you can see things in context. It is not a difficult thing to pass the GED but it will take focus and discipline. If you are interested, recognize that I coach you to use your learning style and other ones that you can have proper dominion and make distinctions that you will be a good steward over your life and the resources you are in charge of for yourself, others and your employer. Having passed the GED will give you greater confidence to pursue even more education to, Lord willing, gain a better job and career. Being that English is my second language, I have worked hard to master the American language and culture as well. Please review my qualifications in other subjects as well and contact me if you think my process of tutoring/mentoring/coaching is one you would enjoy. Have an amazing day.
Microsoft Excel
If you just have a task to perform or want to master this application, I can adjust my hourly fee to become the cost for a task as well. You can read my testimonials and other subject qualifications to see if I am the one you want to choose.
Should you want to master this, application, I can mentor you through the application on your own device, or we can meet at the public library to use the applications there free of charge or I can bring my own remote hot spot and we can work off my laptop to train you on the applications you like.
I have used Microsoft Excel to deal with check book balancing, tracking attendance of an event and other contact information, using spreadsheet to sort information and data mine for information pertaining to the desires of decision makers.
I have trained 4-H Youth and adults to use a spread sheet to create their own private contact directory as well. It is a versatile tool to organize and prioritize items on a list.
There is much much more that can be said done using Excel in many fields for study, work or just fun.
Organic Chemistry
I successful passed an Organic Chemistry course at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and have enjoyed successfully tutoring students in General Chemistry in Minnesota and California as well. Recently tutored a pre-med student to pass her ACS examination for Organic Chemistry. Applying every means possible to illustrate and convey what how IR, MR and other Spectroscopy work and how to use it to identify the chemical composition of a sample, it enables the student to visualize the four dimensional dance of the components. Using a transparent board, we diagrammed the stereo-chemical representations and flipped the board to see it mirror image to determine how to classify it further. Using these and establishing a sound conceptual basis for the atomic level, the student was able to master the material given other study tips as well. We covered the ACS work book to prepare the student to handle the exam and she passed and came out of the sessions with a greater appreciation of the wonders of Organic Chemistry.
Prealgebra
I have successfully aided other students to incorporate Algebra as a useful tool in working with many other subject areas. Mathematics is the backbone of the ordering sciences and when mentored well opens new vistas to explore. I enjoy teaching Algebra and how to make in practical as well as helping others to work with it in a fun and memorable manner.
Finding what learning style is your dominant one along with your interests, aids me to give examples that will keep your interests and prick your curiosity. My goal is to open the doors of learning and instill the same passion and awe of the wonderful beauty of order all around us. If you can think of math as a mystery for be solved, I can guide you as Sherlock Holmes does Watson to see it is really quite elementary, once you see the dots and how they are connected. So, join me as Watson, in tracking down and unraveling the mysteries of Mathematics.
Watson, there is no case to complicated to resolve!
Public Speaking
When I was a youth in junior high, I bombed reading a long long poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The instructor said to pick a poem we liked, which I did, and then surprised us by saying to the class, now we are going to read it out loud but we are going to do it alphabetically by last name first. Fortunately, there was a Zepada and a Young, but when Wong was next, I walked to the front of the class, and started my most embarrassing moment. I was terrified. I know what stuttering is by experience and vowed not to speak in public. But God has a strange way of making you eat your words for your own good. I took a speech class and overcame my fears with techniques and experience of great mentors. As a member of Toastmasters I received an award for best impromptu speaker for my chapter. I recently was a community judge for the speech and debate tournament in Heart of Valley held this year for students for junior high through high school. I would count it an honor and privilege to pass on what I have learned in congenial mentoring sessions. I also speak publicly at the Modesto Public Library and at 4-H Youth events to encourage learning technology to help family, friends and the community.
SAT Math
I scored 100% for the WyzAnt SAT math certification testing. When I first took the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), I received marks or scores sufficient to gain a California Mathematics Scholarship. With the scholarship, I applied to California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo or as the locals would say Cal Poly at SLO town. I was told at the time though I had wanted to teach Mathematics, there would not be any teaching positions for Math majors after I graduated, since there were already too many currently and I would most likely be better off as an Applied Math major or one with another option that would be more marketable. Hence in Mathematics with a Computer Science Option and I was honored with to become a member of Kappa Mu Epsilon (a Mathematical Honor Society) prior to graduation.
Study Skills
I am a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California in Mathematics with a Computer Science Option. I use methods to elicit and assess the learning style of the student and the subject material the student is trying to master. Some learning styles are required to be complimented in order to discovery actively what the presentation of the material is about. With active reading/learning, we question the text and see if answers are forthcoming. For someone needing help with memorization, I employ the primary learning style of visual, auditory, tactile reinforcement that is best suited to the student and will seek to merge some together so the student can master other forms of learning. Using color, flashcards or visual means one can accelerate and demonstrate connections by joining learning styles essential with the students primary means. For formulas and word problems color coding the terms and underlining and drawing lines to show the connections helps to conceptualize the steps and solidify the ideas in the mind. There are many ways I have found success with the student to discover and add passion to the sessions with rhyming, mnemonics and even silly songs. To unlock and make good study habits, may require writing something down seven or more times to develop a muscle memory and engage the whole body to experience the information. Even finding the student's interests and goals and tying the examples to them can aid in creating a fun and comfortable learning experience. Leaving the student with a positive experience of discovery and mastery is only a part of aiding them towards good study habits. Aiding them to be excited enough to help others allows them to move to master and mentor the subject material which further promotes taking the study skills to the next level to teach others. This is only a small portion of what I tutor on besides time management if that is needed to not procrastinate.