Science Tutoring That Meets You Where You Are | 20 Years Teaching Exp

Brooke K.

ADHD

Having ADHD can make school feel frustrating. And it's not because you aren’t capable, but because traditional teaching methods don’t always work well with the way your brain processes information. As a teacher with more than 20 years of experience, I’ve worked with many students with ADHD and have learned to adapt my approach rather than expecting students to adapt to a one-size-fits-all classroom. I can help you break large or complicated topics into manageable pieces, stay engaged with challenging material, develop strategies for studying and preparing for tests, and figure out how you learn best. We can use diagrams, conversation, real-world examples, movement, repetition, or whatever combination helps the material stick. I also understand that executive functioning can be just as much of a barrier as understanding the material itself. When appropriate, we can work on organizing assignments, breaking down long-term projects, planning study time, and getting started when a task feels overwhelming. Most importantly, I don't see ADHD as a deficit. My goal is to help you recognize your strengths, build confidence, and develop strategies that allow you to demonstrate what you actually know. You don't have to learn the way everyone else does. We’ll find a way that works for you.

Anatomy

Anatomy can feel like an enormous list of unfamiliar words and structures to memorize. But anatomy becomes much easier when you understand how the pieces fit together and why the body is organized the way it is. I’ve taught Biology and Anatomy & Physiology for many years, and I especially enjoy helping students turn complicated anatomical systems into something they can actually visualize and understand. I can help with anatomical terminology, body planes and directional terms, tissues, skeletal and muscular systems, the nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, digestive system, endocrine system, reproductive system, and the relationships between structure and function. My approach combines clear explanations with visual learning, diagrams, repetition, and connections between systems. Rather than asking you to memorize hundreds of structures in isolation, we'll look at where things are, what they do, how they're connected, and why their structure makes sense for their function. I’m also experienced in working with students who have ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD, and other learning differences. If a traditional approach to memorizing anatomy isn't working for you, we can experiment with different strategies until we find one that does, whether that's drawing, talking through a pathway, creating memory cues, using models, or breaking a large system into smaller pieces. Whether you're taking high school Anatomy & Physiology, an introductory college course, or a prerequisite course for a health-related program, I can help you get organized, fill in gaps, prepare for exams, and—most importantly—make sense of the human body. My goal is to help you move from “I have to memorize all of this” to “Oh, I see how this works.”

Biology

I've taught Biology at both the high school and college levels. I'm super excited about the material and I've been told by my students that my enthusiasm for life sciences and the natural world is contagious.

Chemistry

Chemistry can seem like a completely new language with unfamiliar symbols, formulas, equations, and rules that don't always seem to make sense at first. My goal is to help you see the patterns and ideas underneath the details so that chemistry starts to feel logical rather than overwhelming. I’ve taught Chemistry for many years as part of high school science programs, and I especially enjoy working with students in introductory and foundational chemistry. This is where I feel I can be most helpful: building a strong conceptual foundation, filling in gaps in understanding, and helping students develop the confidence they need to tackle chemistry problems independently. I can help with topics such as atoms and elements, the periodic table, chemical bonding, molecular structure, nomenclature, chemical reactions, balancing equations, stoichiometry, moles, solutions and concentrations, acids and bases, and introductory thermochemistry. My approach is highly conceptual and visual. Rather than simply showing you a formula and asking you to memorize it, we'll work on understanding what the formula represents, why it works, and how to recognize when to use it. We can break complicated problems into smaller steps and practice until the process feels familiar. I’m particularly good at helping students who feel like they are “just not a chemistry person.” After more than 20 years in the classroom, I’ve seen how often that feeling comes from a missing piece of foundational understanding rather than a lack of ability. I want to be transparent about my specialty: I’m best suited to introductory high school and college chemistry rather than advanced chemistry courses such as organic chemistry, physical chemistry, or upper-level university chemistry. If you’re building your chemistry foundation, though, that's exactly where my experience and teaching style shine. My goal is simple: less memorizing, less panic, more understanding and the confidence to solve the next problem on your own.

Ecology

Ecology is one of my favorite areas of science because it connects everything: organisms, environments, climate, behavior, evolution, and the complex relationships that make ecosystems work. I’ve taught Ecology for more than 20 years, both as part of Biology courses and through specialized electives and outdoor education programs. My background includes a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Washington, and I’ve spent much of my teaching career helping students understand science through observation, inquiry, and connections to the natural world. I can help with topics including ecosystems and energy flow, food webs, population dynamics, community ecology, biodiversity, evolution, animal behavior, conservation, biogeochemical cycles, climate change, and human impacts on ecosystems. My approach is to move beyond memorizing vocabulary and help you understand how and why ecological systems work. We might use diagrams, real-world examples, case studies, or observations from the world around us to make abstract concepts concrete. Whether you're struggling with the basics of an introductory ecology unit, preparing for a Biology or AP Biology exam, working through a lab or research project, or simply want to go deeper into a subject you're fascinated by, I’ll meet you where you are and help you build from there. I especially love helping students discover that ecology isn't just a collection of facts to memorize. It's a way of understanding the living world and once you start seeing the connections, it gets really interesting.

Physiology

If anatomy is about what the body is made of, physiology is about how it all works. And in my experience, physiology becomes much easier once you can connect the two. I’ve taught Biology and Anatomy & Physiology for many years, and I love helping students understand the processes that keep the human body functioning—from the cellular level all the way up to the interactions between entire body systems. I can help with homeostasis, cellular physiology, nervous and endocrine regulation, muscle physiology, cardiovascular function, respiration, gas exchange, digestion, kidney function and fluid balance, immune function, and reproductive physiology, as well as the connections between these systems. My approach is to focus on understanding processes rather than memorizing isolated facts. We might trace a signal through the nervous system, follow oxygen from the lungs to a tissue, work through how the kidneys maintain fluid balance, or explore how the body responds when homeostasis is disrupted. Drawing these processes out and understanding the cause-and-effect relationships can make complicated physiology much more manageable. I’m particularly good at helping students who look at a physiology textbook and think, “There is way too much to remember.” There probably is—if you're trying to memorize it all! Instead, I’ll help you identify the underlying principles and build a mental model of how the system works. I also have extensive experience supporting students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD, and other learning differences, and I’m happy to adapt how we work to fit your learning style. Whether you're studying physiology in high school, Anatomy & Physiology in college, or taking an introductory course as preparation for a health-related program, I can help you build both understanding and confidence. Because ultimately, physiology isn't just a collection of facts. It's the story of how a living body keeps itself alive.

Study Skills

Being a good student isn't just about knowing the material. Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out how to organize your work, manage your time, study effectively, or get started when a task feels overwhelming. After more than 20 years as a classroom teacher, I’ve helped students develop the skills they need to become more confident and independent learners. I know that there isn't one study strategy that works for everyone, so my approach is to help you discover what works for you. We can work together on things like time management, organization, note-taking, test preparation, breaking large assignments into manageable steps, planning long-term projects, avoiding procrastination, and developing effective study routines. I have particular experience supporting students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD, and other learning differences, including students who understand the material but struggle with the executive-function demands of school. Rather than simply telling you to “try harder” or “get organized,” we’ll figure out what is getting in your way and develop practical strategies around it. For science students, I can also help you learn how to learn science—from making sense of complex concepts and scientific vocabulary to studying for cumulative exams without trying to memorize an entire textbook the night before. My goal is not to give you a rigid study system that you'll abandon in two weeks. It's to help you build a toolkit of strategies you can actually use, understand your own learning habits, and become more confident managing your academic work independently. You don't need to become a completely different kind of student. We just need to find the strategies that make being the student you already are a little easier.