(877) 999-2681  | BECOME A TUTOR | BECOME A STUDENT  |  Sign In
Search 69,757 tutors SEARCH
Tutors, Tutoring Services, and Homework Help|
Aidan K. for tutoring lessons in Tacoma WA Over 100 tutoring hours WyzAnt Tutoring Tutor Tutor United States

Aidan K.

Tutoring in all academic subjects; expert on the SAT

Tacoma, WA (98404)

Travel Radius 20 miles
Hourly Fee $35.00
Discount $29.75 - $33.25 Save up to 15% (i)
  61 ratings

Your first hour with any tutor is always 100% refundable!

I have been tutoring students for many years in many subjects since I have a very broad academic and professional background. I am especially good at helping students prepare for the PSAT and the SAT. My own score on the old SAT was 1580; that is, I missed only one question.

Sometimes students think the SAT is a comprehensive exam on everything they have learned in high school. No, it is not. They are tested on advanced vocabulary and the ability to solve math puzzles at high speed, as well as their skill in writing an entertaining essay and mastery of the mechanics of writing good English.

In tutoring for the SAT, I show students:
- the time-management skills that by themselves can boost their score;
- a painless way to learn and retain a large vocabulary of the kind of abstract words always used in the SAT;
- the two dozen math facts that the SAT always uses in creating their math puzzles;
- the essay structure that the readers expect to see.

One year, when I was teaching for the Berkeley Learning Center in Lakewood, we had 24 seniors in our SAT classes. They all got into college, 12 of them into the best Ivy League colleges and universities in the country. Yes, it was a very good year!

Having been a math major and a science book editor, I can tutor math through precalculus. I can teach writing skills, having written a dozen books and edited more than a hundred. I can also tutor on most of the humanities and social sciences, since my editing and doctoral program covered many of those areas. Please note that I had to pass WyzAnt's tough qualifying exams for each of the 20 subject areas listed above.

I'm also a nice guy. I believe in seeing where a student is beginning from and then helping him or her make as much progress as possible. I support, I help, and I am not negative. Unlike many teachers, I actually like teenagers!

Aidan's Subjects

Math:
Science:
  • ACT Science,
  • astronomy,
  • philosophy,
  • physical science,
  • physics,
  • psychology,
  • sociology
Music:
English:
Test Preparation:
Language:
History:
Elementary Education:
Business:
Corporate Training:
Homeschool:

Algebra 1

Students who struggle with math have almost always had a teacher who forgot to tell them about a crucial fact or step. I make sure to fill in those gaps and then help the student make as much progress as possible. I have tutored in math, especially SAT math, for many years, and am currently tutoring college math for ITT Technical Institute.

Algebra 2

Students who struggle with math have almost always had a teacher who forgot to tell them about a crucial fact or step. I make sure to fill in those gaps and then help the student make as much progress as possible. I have tutored in math, especially SAT math, for many years, and am currently tutoring college math for ITT Technical Institute.

American History

I have taught many history courses, including AP US History. I encourage students not to just memorize dates (well, a few), but to understand the forces, social movements, and ideals that shape history--which is much more interesting. I actually prefer history to novels for enjoyable reading.

Vocabulary

Trying to simply memorize words does not work. They will evaporate from short-term memory. I show you a painless method for steadily getting words into long-term memory, where you can find them when you need them later. I scored a perfect 800 on the test in German because I knew and used this method.

Writing

Background: MA in Creative Writing; 40 years as professional editor and writer; a dozen published books. Wherever you're at as a writer, I can improve your skills.

English

English is both the most important and the most difficult language in the modern world. As a professional editor and writer since the 1960s, I've had to know 1001 things about English for the hundreds of books I've worked on--but there's only about a dozen that a person needs to master to survive in the real world. Wherever your skills are at, I can improve them. Currently I teach Composition for ITT Technical Institute.

ESL/ESOL

My practical experience in teaching ESL has come from tutoring first-generation Korean students for the SAT over the last 17 years. I also have extensive background in linguistics, anthropology,and languages (German, Greek, and Coptic), which serve as resources. Perhaps more importantly, I think I am reasonably sensitive to the difficult situation of immigrants; so it is not hard for me to remain patient, sympathetic, and supportive as they work on learning English, which is clearly the most difficult... Read More

SAT Math

The SAT tests on the ability to see how to solve a math puzzle quickly without doing long calculations. The solutions usually depend on a few dozen math facts that the SAT always uses to construct the puzzles. These few facts are easy to memorize, and just knowing them can raise one's score by 100 points.

GRE

The GRE, like the SAT, tests on the ability to solve math puzzles without doing long calculations and on a specific level of abstract vocabulary. I can show you the few dozen math facts that the GRE math puzzles are always based on, and a painless method for getting hundreds of those abstract words into long-term memory, focusing on the ones that the tests use over and over again. I also show you the time-management skills that maximize the number of points you can win in each test section.

Proofreading

I have been a book editor since 1964. I've lost count of the number of books I've edited, proofread, and helped produce, but it is at least 150. If you need any technical or literary assistance with your writing, I'm truly the right person to ask.

GED

From 2003 to 2005, I tutored all GED subjects and administered the practice tests to dozens of students at the Muckleshoot Tribal College in Auburn, WA.

SAT Reading

The SAT tests on a specific range of vocabulary, fairly abstract, but not technical terms, and on secondary meanings of words. Certain of these abstract words turn up over and over again on the SAT. I teach a painless method for getting hundreds of these words into long-term memory (NOT short-term, from which they would evaporate quickly). Recognizing just 10 more of them, and so getting 10 more questions right, can raise a final score by about 100 points.

SAT Writing

The readers who score the essay in the SAT are looking for certain types of logical structures, not literary brilliance. It is easy to learn these structures and how to build on them. There are also only a few dozen facts about correct usage of English that the SAT always asks about, and these too are easy to learn.

GMAT

All standardized tests have very similar structures. There are a few dozen math facts that are always used to construct the math questions. The verbal sections always concentrate on a certain type of abstract words; I teach a painless way to get hundreds of those words into long-term memory. I also teach you the test-taking skills and strategies you need to know in order to maximize your score. I'm patient, thorough, friendly, and supportive. You'll like me.

ASVAB

All standardized tests are structured very similarly. I teach students not only how to improve their math and verbal skills, but also the specific test-taking skills and strategies they need to maximize their scores.

I am proud and grateful that Samantha, whose endorsement of me appears below, wrote to me from the Air Force Academy, thanking me yet again for enabling her to raise her SAT score enough to fulfill her dream of being admitted to the Academy.

Music History

Music has always been one of my most treasured avocations. I began learning saxophone in the seventh grade, was in band for all of high school and the start of college, and have performed in local bands, little theater orchestras, and other volunteer groups since then.

Having learned musical notation, I began composing at age 15 and have produced several significant pieces that have been performed, some almost annually. I also wrote a musical comedy with a partial score (I did not provide... Read More

Religion

I have a Ph.D. in Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, in a cooperative program with the University of California. What I was actually pursuing was advanced humanities and religious studies: early Christian history; Greek religions and literature of the classical and Hellenistic periods; sociology of religion, focusing on the newer religions in America; and psychology of creativity, concerned mainly with how creativity is manifested in religion.

I have... Read More

Bible Studies

I have a Ph.D. in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, in which I passed a comprehensive exam in New Testament Studies. I have taught a variety of college courses in church history, theology, religious studies, and world religions. I am familiar with the theologies of the major denominations, and I treat them all moderately and respectfully. I also thoroughly enjoy sharing my knowledge of this field.

Logic

I completed a 27-unit undergraduate minor in math and logic (along with two majors)that included 12 units in mathematical and symbolic logic. I have also edited textbooks on logic. I always include a logic component in my philosophy courses. The subject is essential for learning machine languages.

Read all subject qualifications »

back to top

Aidan's Hourly Rate

Hourly Fee: $35.00

Save up to 15% with a discount package

Cancellation: 3 hours notice required

How do I receive a discount?

Save between 5 and 15% on tutoring by purchasing credit with one of our prepaid discount packages. You can buy one of our standard 5, 10 or 15% packages or customize your own package based on how much tutoring you need. The credit you purchase can be used towards any tutor at any time and does not expire. If you do not use the entire package, we will simply deduct what you did spend on tutoring from your original purchase price and give you a refund. Discount packages start as low as $190.

Credit For Only You Save
$200 - $399 $190 - $379 5%
$400 - $999 $360 - $899 10%
$1,000 + $850 + 15%

Guarantee Your first hour with any tutor is protected by our Good Fit Guarantee: You don't pay for tutoring unless you find a good fit!


Background Check Status for Aidan K.

Passed

Aidan K. passed a background check on 10/21/2011. You may run an updated background check on Aidan once you send an email.

For more information, please review the background check policy.