Alan V.

I believe firmly that anyone can learn anything - and enjoy it! It all comes down to how the subject is presented. Consequently, my teaching philosophy centers on two key objectives: First, I work with the student and his/her particular interests to discover an approach to the material that makes learning the subject at hand fun, exciting and enjoyable. It is much easier to do something you like than to do something you hate. Secondly, I strive to present all material in the simplest and most basic form possible to help increase the student's rate of comprehension and retention. The combination of these two strategies results in a tutoring experience that not only proves successful for learning the subject at hand but also one which fosters a passion for learning generally while building skills and habits applicable to work across curricula.

I've had a love for learning new things (and sharing what I learn) for my entire life. This passion for education as a process and an experience has driven me to excel personally and professionally. I am a recent graduate of Cornell University, where I earned my B.A. in Latin and Ancient Greek in January 2010, becoming the first student in memory to satisfy the requirements for both the Latin and Ancient Greek majors independently. Along with my work in the Classics, I undertook a wide variety of studies in related fields in the Humanities including Comparative Literature, History, Linguistics, Reception Studies, Religious Studies, Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, English, French, German, Archaeology and Art History. The result of this background is a preparation in and understanding of the Humanities in both breadth and depth with particularly well-developed English composition and reading skills and an eye for finding novel ways to approach topics and make them accessible to my students. For the last five years I have also worked developing and presenting courses for my fraternity at regional and international leadership conferences as well as volunteering to help friends and classmates with their schoolwork in English and foreign languages. I currently am employed as a Latin teacher at a high school in Middlesex county.

Alan's Subjects

Math:	geometry, prealgebra, SAT math
English:	English, grammar, literature, proofreading, reading, SAT reading, SAT writing, vocabulary, writing
Test Preparation:	GRE, SAT math, SAT reading, SAT writing
Computer:	Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
Language:	German, Greek, Latin
History:	American history, European history, world history
Elementary Education:	grammar, reading, vocabulary
Business:	GRE, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
Corporate Training:	German, grammar, Greek, Latin, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, proofreading
Homeschool:	English, geometry, prealgebra, reading, SAT math, SAT reading, writing

Greek

I have been reading Ancient Greek academically for the past 7 years. I began studying Ancient Greek in 2003, during my sophomore year of high school. In the summer of 2005, I spent six weeks at Cornell University engaged in a six week intensive Ancient Greek course. I studied the language further throughout my time at Cornell as an undergraduate, where I completed enough course work in Greek to satisfy all of the requirements for a major in the topic, including advanced work on the undergraduate... Read More

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Education

Undergrad, Cornell University

So far, so GREAT! — My son was struggling with High School German and I reached out to Alan although I was afraid it may be too late for my son as it is now the fourth marking period. After 2 lessons with Alan my son said something he hasn't said about German all year: "I think I'm learning this". I'm blown away! Alan has no problem repeating a concept (in my son's case, verb conjugations) and does not show any frustration ...

— Randy from Sicklerville, NJ

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