I began tutoring in high school as a favor to a family friend who was struggling in her math class. With my help, she was able to turn her failing grade in Algebra into a B+ by the end of the semester. That was the beginning of my passion for teaching.
I hold undergraduate degrees in both English and the equivalent in mathematics because I loved both subjects so much I could not choose between them. I was a teaching assistant in college for differential equations and pre-calculus. I also tutored friends in discrete math. When I graduated, I began teaching high school math and soon after, earned my Master's degree. I have been a high school math teacher for three years now in schools which are traditionally very low performing. My students test scores regularly exceed those of their peers. I also led extra help sessions after school, and tutored in my spare time in both math and English, because working one on one with students is my true passion.
I have also excelled at standardized testing. I scored a 1600 out of 1600 on the SAT, and 5 out of 5 on 4 different AP exams. I am happy to share my tricks and preparation strategies because I believe every student should have the preparation and skills necessary to do their best on standardized tests. I have tutored students in preparation for the SAT, ACT, and TOEFL. I also have successful experience with the LSAT, GRE, and PRAXIS exams.
I believe every student can learn when given individualized instruction that is tailored to their needs and skill set. When I begin working with new students, I try to first determine their strengths and weaknesses so that I can use the strategies that will be most helpful to them individually. A student who remembers formulas easily will do well with step by step instructions, but a student who does not will benefit more from a conceptual understanding and lots of practice. The strategies I use might include using visual aids, hands on materials, step by step instructions, conceptual explanations, more practice, or modeling.
I also believe building student confidence is one of the most important steps on the path to success. Students must believe they are capable of mastering the work before they will truly be successful. For this reason, I like to begin instruction with material the student has already mastered so that they have a solid foundation and context for new material.
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