Students have repeatedly prospered under my compassionate and versatile guidance. A female student in her senior year of high school was facing not only failure in chemistry but also failure of the credit for graduation. If she did not receive a passing grade in chemistry, she would not receive a diploma of graduation. Her grade improved under my tutoring from failing to average. She graduated. Students in pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry have also gained understanding and improved from failing to average or above average.
I have instructed in high school and community college over several years. I have taught Algebra, Trigonometry, and Earth Science.
Many students prosper with only classroom instruction. Some do not. All students need guidance, instruction, and encouragement. Some more than others. Most students graduate after 12 years of elementary and high school instruction. Some are barely hanging on without learning well. Others dropout.
This disparity among students troubles not only the students and their parents but also committed teachers and counselors and may cause teachers many a sigh or sorrow in the course of their teaching and counseling. Over students that the teachers hoped would learn and graduate, although perhaps not excel, they have misgivings and perhaps regrets at the loss of potential of those students who drop out, often due to familial difficulties. The stresses of family life, for example, lack of income, lack of cohesiveness, may cause learning difficulties in the student. This true also for those who have moved out of the household and entered a college.
Committed, classroom teachers give of themselves even beyond the school time, but cannot help all, and sometimes not even one student, as much as he or she needs assistance.
As tutor I have been able to give personal one-on-one assistance, investigating especially the fundamental, learning difficulties that a student has, whether in mathematics, physics, chemistry, or English grammar and composition. For often the problems students have are not with the course material as such, but rather they have difficulty with the principles of learning. For example, I have regularly and quickly learned that students in algebra did not grasp or understand the necessity of learning the positive and negative operations. They lacked training and ability to differentiate between concepts. Learning such differentiation, which may include required rote repetition, they quickly advanced to a higher level of attainment. Also students have needed similar help in chemistry, geometry, and other subjects. Rectifying these deficiencies leads to passing letter grades.
Tutoring: pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, physics, chemistry, English grammar and composition.
Credentials: Bachelor of Science in Physics with Master’s degree study, University of Washington, Seattle, and Master of Divinity, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Teaching experience: algebra and religion, Luther High School South, Chicago, Illinois, and earth science, algebra, and trigonometry (pre-calculus), Pierce College, Tacoma, Washington.
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