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Experienced Math, English & Computer Science Tutor | 16 Years
Shawn J.

5.0 (1 ratings)

5 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $90
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About Shawn

Bio

Hi! I’m Shawn, an experienced teacher and private tutor with a B.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Northridge. I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and spent nine years at Bridges Academy, including five years as a lead 5th- and 6th-grade math and STEM teacher. My experience includes classroom, small-group, and one-on-one instruction with students from elementary school through high school.

I tutor math from elementary school through Prealgebra,...

Hi! I’m Shawn, an experienced teacher and private tutor with a B.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Northridge. I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and spent nine years at Bridges Academy, including five years as a lead 5th- and 6th-grade math and STEM teacher. My experience includes classroom, small-group, and one-on-one instruction with students from elementary school through high school.

I tutor math from elementary school through Prealgebra, Algebra I, and Geometry. I also work extensively with students in English, including reading comprehension, writing, grammar, proofreading, spelling, creative writing, ESL/ESOL support, and ACT English and Reading and SAT Writing preparation. With my computer science background, I also tutor introductory computer science and programming, general computer skills, and Microsoft 365. I have experience teaching elementary science as well, particularly through hands-on, project-based STEM instruction.

My approach starts with figuring out what is actually getting in the way. A student may have a foundational gap, need a different explanation, need more structure, or simply need to be challenged more appropriately. I focus on understanding rather than memorizing procedures and adapt lessons to each student’s needs, interests, and goals. I have extensive experience with gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodiverse students, including students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, executive-function challenges, and anxiety. I have helped advanced students accelerate beyond grade level and struggling students rebuild foundational skills and become more independent. Most importantly, I want students to feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and telling me when something does not make sense.

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Education

California State University Northridge
Computer Science

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $90
  • Rate details: Rates shown are for individual lessons. Group rates and pricing for extended or recurring sessions may be available. In-person rates may vary based on travel distance.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 8/26/2026

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English, grammar, writing, and revision. I help students identify grammar, sentence-structure, punctuation, usage, and rhetorical issues while also recognizing what standardized-test questions are actually asking. My approach emphasizes understanding the rule or reasoning behind an answer so students can apply it to unfamiliar questions rather than relying on guessing. I tailor practice to the student’s specific gaps while balancing accuracy, pacing, and confidence.
ACT Reading

ACT Reading

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and reading. I am especially strong at interpreting standardized-test wording, identifying exactly what a question is asking, locating textual evidence, making supported inferences, and distinguishing correct answers from plausible distractors. I help students approach passages systematically while balancing comprehension, accuracy, and pacing. I adapt strategies and explanations to each student’s individual learning style and needs.
Acting

Acting

I taught full Drama classes for elementary students in both in-person and online settings. My instruction included character development, improvisation, scene work, expressive choices, collaboration, rehearsal, and performance. I also directed and produced a student play performed for the entire elementary school, guiding students from rehearsal through final performance. I focus on helping students make intentional acting choices while developing confidence, creativity, and comfort performing in front of others.
ADHD

ADHD

I spent nine years at Bridges Academy, a school specializing in gifted and twice-exceptional students, where I regularly taught students diagnosed with ADHD. This included four years as a teaching assistant and five years as a lead math and STEM teacher. I worked from individual learning profiles, IEPs, BALPs, diagnoses, and accommodations and collaborated with families, teachers, and specialists to support students with attention regulation, working memory, task initiation, organization, impulsivity, and executive-function challenges. In my classroom and one-on-one work, I used strategies such as breaking multi-step tasks into manageable pieces, visual checklists, structured routines, reduced cognitive load, movement opportunities, individual pacing, and frequent feedback. My goal is to help students develop strategies that increase independence rather than simply providing permanent adult prompting.
Algebra 1

Algebra 1

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and five years of lead classroom teaching experience in math and STEM. I teach foundational algebra skills including expressions, equations, inequalities, ratios, proportional reasoning, graphing, and problem-solving. My approach emphasizes understanding why algebraic procedures work rather than memorizing steps. I also have extensive experience adapting instruction for students working at different levels and with different learning and executive-function needs.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

I spent nine years at Bridges Academy, a school specializing in gifted and twice-exceptional students, where autistic students were a significant part of the population I taught and supported. I worked with students with a wide range of communication styles, sensory needs, social needs, academic profiles, and executive-function challenges. My responsibilities included implementing accommodations from IEPs and BALPs, collaborating with families and support professionals, adapting instruction and pacing, and helping students participate successfully in both individual and group learning. I use clear expectations, direct communication, predictable structure, student interests, and individualized supports while respecting differences in how students communicate, regulate, and engage with other people.
Common Core

Common Core

I spent five years as a lead 5th- and 6th-grade teacher designing lessons, units, projects, and assessments around Common Core standards. I regularly unpacked standards into specific learning objectives, determined what evidence would demonstrate mastery, and built instruction backward from those goals. I also designed interdisciplinary projects in which students applied Common Core math skills in authentic contexts, including a yearlong game-development curriculum connecting standards to scaling, formulas, geometry, and quantitative reasoning. I am experienced in maintaining the same standards-based goals while adjusting scaffolding or extension for students at very different readiness levels.
Computer Gaming

Computer Gaming

I designed and taught a 5th- and 6th-grade game-development curriculum in which students created playable games using Flowlab. Students worked with game mechanics, level design, logic, statistics, spatial design, iteration, debugging, and balancing while developing their projects over time. I have also designed original tabletop game systems and adapted existing games for educational groups, giving me extensive experience thinking about rules, player choice, difficulty, and game experience. My focus in this subject is game design and development rather than competitive video-game coaching.
Computer Programming

Computer Programming

I hold a B.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Northridge and have experience teaching introductory programming and computational thinking. I help students understand core concepts such as variables, conditionals, loops, functions, logic, debugging, and breaking larger problems into manageable steps. I have also taught game development using Flowlab, where students applied programming concepts to build playable projects. My strongest fit is with introductory and school-level programming rather than advanced software development or specialized languages.
Computer Science

Computer Science

I hold a B.S. in Computer Science from California State University, Northridge and have five years of lead classroom teaching experience in math and STEM. I have taught introductory programming, computational thinking, logic, debugging, and game development, including guiding students in building playable projects with Flowlab. I focus on helping students understand how and why code works, break larger problems into manageable steps, and develop systematic problem-solving habits. I am best suited for introductory and school-level computer science rather than advanced or highly specialized programming topics.
Creative Writing

Creative Writing

I have extensive experience developing stories, characters, settings, and long-form narratives through educational tabletop role-playing programs, along with many years supporting students with writing. I help students develop ideas, organize narratives, create compelling characters and conflicts, and revise writing for clarity and impact. My approach encourages creativity while providing enough structure to help students turn an idea into a finished piece. I particularly enjoy helping students connect writing to their existing interests and imagination.
Dyslexia

Dyslexia

During my nine years at Bridges Academy, I regularly taught and supported gifted and twice-exceptional students diagnosed with dyslexia, including students whose dyslexia overlapped with dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and executive-function challenges. I used students’ learning profiles, IEPs, BALPs, and documented accommodations to adjust how they accessed instructions, written material, assignments, and assessments. My experience includes reducing unnecessary reading and writing barriers, providing alternative representations of information, using assistive tools, allowing additional processing time, and separating a student’s understanding of academic content from difficulty decoding or producing written language. My background is in classroom education and individualized academic support rather than specialized dyslexia remediation or structured-literacy certification.
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

I spent nine years working in an elementary-school program, including four years as a teaching assistant and five years as a lead 5th- and 6th-grade teacher. My experience included math, reading and writing support, STEM, project-based learning, classroom routines, small-group instruction, individual support, enrichment, and social-emotional development. I worked with students across a very wide range of academic readiness and regularly coordinated support across multiple subjects rather than focusing on only one content area. This broad classroom experience allows me to support both academic skills and the organizational habits elementary students need to succeed in school.
Elementary Math

Elementary Math

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and five years of lead classroom teaching experience in 5th- and 6th-grade math and STEM. I teach foundational and upper-elementary skills including number sense, arithmetic, fractions, decimals, ratios, geometry, measurement, and multi-step problem-solving. I have worked with students across a wide range of readiness levels, from those rebuilding foundational skills to advanced students working well above grade level. My approach focuses on identifying the specific misunderstanding or skill gap, then adjusting explanations, representations, pacing, and practice to help the student build both understanding and independence.
Elementary Science

Elementary Science

I spent three years as a lead STEM teacher for 5th- and 6th-grade students and have additional experience supporting hands-on science and engineering activities. I design inquiry- and project-based learning that helps students connect scientific concepts to experiments, engineering, technology, and real-world problems. My teaching emphasizes observation, questioning, evidence, problem-solving, and explaining scientific reasoning. I also have extensive experience adapting science activities for students with varied academic and executive-function needs.
English

English

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English. I support students with reading comprehension, grammar, writing, composition, revision, and general academic English. I help students understand texts, organize and express ideas clearly, strengthen grammar and mechanics, and improve their own writing through targeted feedback. My instruction is individualized to each student’s current skills, goals, and learning profile.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. I help students strengthen academic English by building reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary, written expression, and confidence communicating their ideas clearly. My approach is highly individualized and includes clear explanations, modeling, guided practice, and breaking complex language tasks into manageable steps. My background is in English tutoring and classroom education rather than formal ESL certification, so I focus on academic reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary within my areas of experience.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, including extensive one-on-one work helping students plan and revise academic writing. I teach students how to move from a prompt to a focused thesis, organize paragraphs around clear claims, select relevant evidence, explain that evidence, and revise for clarity and coherence. I use outlining and guided questioning to help students develop their own ideas rather than supplying the content for them. My goal is for students to understand the structure of effective essays well enough to apply it independently to future assignments.
Executive Functioning

Executive Functioning

A major part of my work has involved helping students manage planning, organization, task initiation, time management, and multi-step assignments. I have developed individualized systems using checklists, visual planning tools, task chunking, interim deadlines, and structured routines to help students move from adult-dependent work toward greater independence. In tutoring and long-term mentoring, I also help students evaluate which strategies actually work for them rather than imposing a single organizational system. My goal is to build sustainable habits that students can eventually manage on their own.
Fiction Writing

Fiction Writing

I have years of experience creating and adapting long-form narratives through educational tabletop role-playing programs, including characters, settings, conflicts, mysteries, dialogue, pacing, and interconnected story arcs. I also help students turn imaginative ideas into structured stories by developing clear motivations, meaningful conflict, narrative progression, and satisfying resolutions. My work frequently involves revising story elements in response to audience choices while maintaining continuity and coherence. This gives me a practical approach to teaching both creative freedom and narrative structure.
General Computer

General Computer

I hold a B.S. in Computer Science and have extensive professional experience using and troubleshooting computers in educational and small-business settings. I am comfortable helping users with common computer tasks, file organization, software navigation, productivity tools, basic troubleshooting, and learning unfamiliar programs. I have also supported students and colleagues with educational technology, digital platforms, and everyday technical problems. My approach is patient, practical, and focused on helping users understand what they are doing rather than simply fixing the problem for them.
Geometry

Geometry

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and five years of lead classroom teaching experience in math and STEM. I teach geometry topics including angles, area, perimeter, volume, coordinate geometry, transformations, similarity, scale, spatial reasoning, and multi-step problem-solving. I have extensive experience using visual models, diagrams, and real-world applications to help students understand how geometric relationships work rather than simply memorize formulas. I adapt instruction to each student’s current skill level, learning profile, and goals.
Grammar

Grammar

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and writing. I help students understand sentence structure, punctuation, agreement, usage, clarity, and other grammatical concepts through both targeted practice and their own writing. Rather than simply correcting errors, I explain the pattern or rule involved so students can recognize and correct similar problems independently. I adapt instruction to the student’s age, current skill level, and learning profile.
Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365

I have extensive professional experience using Microsoft 365 tools for teaching, tutoring, program management, and administrative work. I am comfortable with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, planning, recordkeeping, and communication. I also use cloud-based productivity tools regularly to organize schedules, student information, instructional materials, and business operations. My experience is practical and day-to-day, with a focus on helping users become comfortable and efficient with common Microsoft 365 tasks.
Prealgebra

Prealgebra

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience and five years of lead classroom teaching experience in math and STEM. I teach foundational prealgebra skills including fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, integers, expressions, equations, geometry, and multi-step problem-solving. My approach emphasizes building the underlying number sense and reasoning students need before moving into formal algebra. I have extensive experience adapting instruction for students working below grade level, advanced students, and students with different learning and executive-function needs.
Proofreading

Proofreading

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and writing. I help students identify and correct issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, clarity, consistency, and organization while preserving the writer’s own voice. Rather than simply correcting errors, I explain why a change is needed so students can recognize similar issues independently. I also help students revise for clarity and effectiveness beyond surface-level corrections.
Public Speaking

Public Speaking

As a classroom and Drama teacher, I regularly coached students through presentations, performances, showcases, and speaking in front of groups. I help students improve organization, pacing, projection, clarity, body language, audience awareness, and confidence. I have particular experience helping anxious or reluctant speakers prepare through rehearsal, manageable performance steps, and specific feedback rather than vague advice to “be more confident.” My teaching background also gives me extensive firsthand experience presenting complex ideas clearly to groups.
Reading

Reading

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and reading. I help students strengthen reading comprehension by identifying main ideas, making inferences, analyzing details, understanding vocabulary in context, and supporting answers with evidence from the text. I am especially strong at helping students understand exactly what a question is asking and distinguish well-supported answers from plausible distractors. I adapt instruction to each student’s age, skill level, and learning profile.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and writing. I help students recognize grammar, punctuation, sentence-structure, usage, and clarity issues while also identifying what standardized-test questions are actually asking. My approach emphasizes understanding the rule or reasoning behind an answer so students can apply it consistently rather than relying on memorization or guessing. I am particularly strong at analyzing standardized-test wording and distinguishing correct answers from plausible distractors.
Special Needs

Special Needs

I spent nine years at Bridges Academy, a school serving gifted and twice-exceptional students with a wide range of learning, developmental, emotional, and executive-function needs. My work included four years as a teaching assistant and five years as a lead math and STEM teacher. I regularly used IEPs, BALPs, diagnoses, assessment data, and documented accommodations to adapt instruction and support individual students. I collaborated with families, teachers, administrators, and specialists to coordinate academic, behavioral, executive-function, and social-emotional supports. My experience includes students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, and significant differences in academic readiness. I focus on maintaining appropriate academic expectations while adjusting access, pacing, structure, and supports so students can participate more independently.
Spelling

Spelling

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English, reading, and writing. I help students strengthen spelling through sound-letter patterns, word structure, vocabulary, repeated practice, and strategies for recognizing and correcting errors in context. My approach emphasizes understanding patterns and building reliable habits rather than memorizing isolated word lists. I adapt instruction to each student’s age, current skill level, and learning profile.
Theater

Theater

I taught full Drama classes for elementary students in both in-person and online settings. My instruction included performance, character development, improvisation, communication, collaboration, and helping students become more comfortable presenting in front of others. I also directed and produced a student play that was performed for the entire elementary school, coordinating rehearsals and supporting students through the full process from preparation to performance. My approach emphasizes clear structure, creative risk-taking, confidence, and constructive feedback.
Writing

Writing

I have 16 years of paid professional tutoring experience, with extensive one-on-one work in English and writing. I help students with brainstorming, organization, paragraph and essay structure, clarity, grammar, use of evidence, and revision for different assignments and audiences. My approach emphasizes teaching students how to improve their own writing rather than rewriting or simply correcting their work for them. I also have extensive experience helping students who need additional structure with planning, organization, or translating their ideas into written form.
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Hourly Rate: $90
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