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Ed L.

Effective Math Tutor (Northwestern U Engineering PhD)

Effective Math Tutor (Northwestern U Engineering PhD)

$90/hour

5.0 (85 ratings)

  • 436 hours tutoring

  • San Mateo, CA 94404

About Ed

Bio

Hello, my name is Ed and I am a math tutor. I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and I previously worked in the automotive industry as a senior engineering specialist for 28 years. In my spare time, I worked with elementary through high school students coaching FIRST Robotics in my kids’ school district for 8 years. After taking an early retirement and moving to the Bay Area, I decided to continue doing what I love: working with students.

I tutored my...

Hello, my name is Ed and I am a math tutor. I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and I previously worked in the automotive industry as a senior engineering specialist for 28 years. In my spare time, I worked with elementary through high school students coaching FIRST Robotics in my kids’ school district for 8 years. After taking an early retirement and moving to the Bay Area, I decided to continue doing what I love: working with students.

I tutored my two kids since they were in elementary school. I worked with them on math all the way through high school. As a result, they were able to fully understand the mathematical concepts and excelled in the classroom. They both earned a 4.0 GPA and top percentile standardized test scores. After receiving offers from many top schools, both of them chose to attend Stanford University.

In addition to math tutoring, I also work with students and parents on all the challenges associated with applying to colleges, including ACT/SAT Test Prep. Having recently gone through the same process with both of my kids, I know how much stress there is regarding college admissions. I found that just a little guidance can go a long way for students and their parents.

Since I am a full time tutor, my availability is extremely flexible. No matter what it is, from last minute quiz reviews to long Excel projects that is due the next day, feel free to shoot me a message and I will find the availability to accommodate you. For regular weekly academic tutoring, I recommend a free “get-to-know-you” session with both student and parents to assess the student’s exact needs, set goals and expectations, and create a plan to ensure success. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Education

Northwestern University
Civil Engineering
Northwestern University - Mechanical Engineering
Masters
Northwestern University - Mechanical Engineering
PhD

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $90
  • Rate details: ACT/SAT test prep and AP level classes are $95 per hour. Minimum lesson time is one hour per session.
  • Lesson cancellation: 4 hours notice required

  • No background check

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Subjects

Business

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel

I have used Microsoft Excel for over 25 years. I have extensive knowledge of Excel including writing macros with VBA. I have used Excel at my previous jobs for financial modeling, business reporting, engineering calculations, statistics, and project management. I have always been the tutor and go-to guy for my colleagues for any Excel related questions at work. I also used Excel personally for financial planning, sports ranking and team logistics management. I am also experienced in using Excel Solver to solve linear programming optimization problems in business and engineering using Simplex Method. I am very familiar with What-If Analysis using Goal Seek and Data Tables.

Computer

Microsoft Excel,

Microsoft Excel

I have used Microsoft Excel for over 25 years. I have extensive knowledge of Excel including writing macros with VBA. I have used Excel at my previous jobs for financial modeling, business reporting, engineering calculations, statistics, and project management. I have always been the tutor and go-to guy for my colleagues for any Excel related questions at work. I also used Excel personally for financial planning, sports ranking and team logistics management. I am also experienced in using Excel Solver to solve linear programming optimization problems in business and engineering using Simplex Method. I am very familiar with What-If Analysis using Goal Seek and Data Tables.
Visual Basic

Visual Basic

I have used VBA in Microsoft Excel for over 20 years. I have extensive knowledge of Excel including writing macros with VBA. I have used Excel at my previous jobs for financial modeling, business reporting, engineering calculations, statistics, and project management. I have always been the tutor and go-to guy for my colleagues for any Excel related questions at work. I also used Excel VBA personally for financial planning, sports ranking and team logistics management. Recently after working with one of my student who had minimal programming background, he was able to program in VBA and developed a spreadsheet to automatically download financial data and look for stock options trading opportunities.

Corporate Training

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel

I have used Microsoft Excel for over 25 years. I have extensive knowledge of Excel including writing macros with VBA. I have used Excel at my previous jobs for financial modeling, business reporting, engineering calculations, statistics, and project management. I have always been the tutor and go-to guy for my colleagues for any Excel related questions at work. I also used Excel personally for financial planning, sports ranking and team logistics management. I am also experienced in using Excel Solver to solve linear programming optimization problems in business and engineering using Simplex Method. I am very familiar with What-If Analysis using Goal Seek and Data Tables.

Elementary Education

Elementary Math

Elementary Math

The most effective way to teach math to young kids is through a hybrid of the mastery approach used in many Asian countries and the mindset approach used in many Western countries. I used this hybrid approach with both of my own kids who studied math 3 years ahead of their class. I also like to make math fun by using games to reinforce the mathematical concepts rather than using an approach like Kumon. I am using this approach with my elementary math students with great success. Mastering the basic arithmetic and concepts is very important for later math subjects. (Please note that due to the techniques I use with elementary students, I can not do it through online tutoring)

English

ACT English, ACT Reading

Homeschool

Algebra 1,

Algebra 1

Students who studied pre-algebra with me will recognize that I have already covered many of the Algebra 1 concepts. For new students, I need to first make sure they are solid with fractions arithmetic and prime factorization. Algebra 1 can be easy to learn once students understand the general rules and methods that I teach them.
Algebra 2,

Algebra 2

Algebra is the most important math subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 35% of SAT math is algebra. It is important to make sure skills from Algebra 1 are mastered before moving on to Algebra 2.
Calculus,

Calculus

Calculus is a very abstract topic that students often find intimidating. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school. I am able to break down complicated calculus concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. This helps to demystify a scary subject and allows students to be more confident in the classroom.
Geometry,

Geometry

Geometry is a very important subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 30% of SAT math involves geometry. Geometry proofs, which are required study under the CA Common Core curriculum, are not tested on the ACT or SAT. However, students need to know the theorems and postulates well in order to excel in ACT and SAT math.
Prealgebra,

Prealgebra

I believe middle school is a good stage to stretch students’ minds and encourage them to think outside the box. It is the perfect time to teach students to recognize patterns and show them that math can be fun. As we encounter topics the student is not familiar with, I will stop and explain the topics thoroughly. It is very important that students have a firm command of fractions arithmetic before starting pre-algebra.
Precalculus,

Precalculus

Pre-calculus is a subject that students often find they have trouble with. This is very common because pre-calculus is the first time math becomes more abstract (especially with limits), and there are no clear steps to follow to solve math problems like in previous classes. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school.
SAT Math

SAT Math

The standard approach of tutoring SAT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an SAT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. After a last-minute two-hour lesson, one student took the SAT a second time and improved their SAT math score from 590 to 650. Another two of my students improved their scores from the mid-600s to mid-700s after just 10 lessons.

Math

ACT Math,

ACT Math

The standard approach of tutoring ACT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an ACT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. I have coached both of my kids to get a 36 on their ACT Math using this approach. It can work for you too. One student improved their ACT math score from 24 to 30 after 7 one-hour lessons, and another student improved their score from 25 to 32.
Algebra 1,

Algebra 1

Students who studied pre-algebra with me will recognize that I have already covered many of the Algebra 1 concepts. For new students, I need to first make sure they are solid with fractions arithmetic and prime factorization. Algebra 1 can be easy to learn once students understand the general rules and methods that I teach them.
Algebra 2,

Algebra 2

Algebra is the most important math subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 35% of SAT math is algebra. It is important to make sure skills from Algebra 1 are mastered before moving on to Algebra 2.
Calculus,

Calculus

Calculus is a very abstract topic that students often find intimidating. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school. I am able to break down complicated calculus concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. This helps to demystify a scary subject and allows students to be more confident in the classroom.
Geometry,

Geometry

Geometry is a very important subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 30% of SAT math involves geometry. Geometry proofs, which are required study under the CA Common Core curriculum, are not tested on the ACT or SAT. However, students need to know the theorems and postulates well in order to excel in ACT and SAT math.
Prealgebra,

Prealgebra

I believe middle school is a good stage to stretch students’ minds and encourage them to think outside the box. It is the perfect time to teach students to recognize patterns and show them that math can be fun. As we encounter topics the student is not familiar with, I will stop and explain the topics thoroughly. It is very important that students have a firm command of fractions arithmetic before starting pre-algebra.
Precalculus,

Precalculus

Pre-calculus is a subject that students often find they have trouble with. This is very common because pre-calculus is the first time math becomes more abstract (especially with limits), and there are no clear steps to follow to solve math problems like in previous classes. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school.
SAT Math,

SAT Math

The standard approach of tutoring SAT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an SAT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. After a last-minute two-hour lesson, one student took the SAT a second time and improved their SAT math score from 590 to 650. Another two of my students improved their scores from the mid-600s to mid-700s after just 10 lessons.
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

Trigonometry is not taught as a standalone math subject in the US. It may be taught as part of geometry, Algebra 2, pre-calculus, or some combination of these classes depending on the school. The trigonometry that is tested on ACT and SAT math only involves fundamental concepts. I teach students techniques to quickly derive all the trigonometric functions of special angles without memorizing the unit circle.

Most Popular

Algebra 1,

Algebra 1

Students who studied pre-algebra with me will recognize that I have already covered many of the Algebra 1 concepts. For new students, I need to first make sure they are solid with fractions arithmetic and prime factorization. Algebra 1 can be easy to learn once students understand the general rules and methods that I teach them.
Algebra 2,

Algebra 2

Algebra is the most important math subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 35% of SAT math is algebra. It is important to make sure skills from Algebra 1 are mastered before moving on to Algebra 2.
Calculus,

Calculus

Calculus is a very abstract topic that students often find intimidating. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school. I am able to break down complicated calculus concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. This helps to demystify a scary subject and allows students to be more confident in the classroom.
Geometry,

Geometry

Geometry is a very important subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 30% of SAT math involves geometry. Geometry proofs, which are required study under the CA Common Core curriculum, are not tested on the ACT or SAT. However, students need to know the theorems and postulates well in order to excel in ACT and SAT math.
Prealgebra,

Prealgebra

I believe middle school is a good stage to stretch students’ minds and encourage them to think outside the box. It is the perfect time to teach students to recognize patterns and show them that math can be fun. As we encounter topics the student is not familiar with, I will stop and explain the topics thoroughly. It is very important that students have a firm command of fractions arithmetic before starting pre-algebra.
Precalculus

Precalculus

Pre-calculus is a subject that students often find they have trouble with. This is very common because pre-calculus is the first time math becomes more abstract (especially with limits), and there are no clear steps to follow to solve math problems like in previous classes. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school.

Other

College Counseling

College Counseling

Having recently gone through the college application process with my kids, I know how stressful it can be. You only have one chance to make a good impression on each college you apply to. My wife and I have spent hundreds of hours researching on the internet, attended seminars from admission officers from different colleges and visited the campuses of many of these top colleges. I am very familiar with the subtle difference between what these top colleges look for. I can consult on how to make the student stand out with the appropriate extracurricular activities and the unique personal statements and supplemental essays. Both my kids chose to attend Stanford after receiving offers to other top schools.

Science

ACT Science

Summer

Algebra 1,

Algebra 1

Students who studied pre-algebra with me will recognize that I have already covered many of the Algebra 1 concepts. For new students, I need to first make sure they are solid with fractions arithmetic and prime factorization. Algebra 1 can be easy to learn once students understand the general rules and methods that I teach them.
Algebra 2,

Algebra 2

Algebra is the most important math subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 35% of SAT math is algebra. It is important to make sure skills from Algebra 1 are mastered before moving on to Algebra 2.
Calculus,

Calculus

Calculus is a very abstract topic that students often find intimidating. Many of my students have told me that the way I explained the concepts was easier to understand than the way they learned it in school. I am able to break down complicated calculus concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. This helps to demystify a scary subject and allows students to be more confident in the classroom.
Geometry,

Geometry

Geometry is a very important subject because roughly 40% of ACT math and 30% of SAT math involves geometry. Geometry proofs, which are required study under the CA Common Core curriculum, are not tested on the ACT or SAT. However, students need to know the theorems and postulates well in order to excel in ACT and SAT math.
SAT Math

SAT Math

The standard approach of tutoring SAT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an SAT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. After a last-minute two-hour lesson, one student took the SAT a second time and improved their SAT math score from 590 to 650. Another two of my students improved their scores from the mid-600s to mid-700s after just 10 lessons.

Test Preparation

ACT Math,

ACT Math

The standard approach of tutoring ACT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an ACT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. I have coached both of my kids to get a 36 on their ACT Math using this approach. It can work for you too. One student improved their ACT math score from 24 to 30 after 7 one-hour lessons, and another student improved their score from 25 to 32.
College Counseling,

College Counseling

Having recently gone through the college application process with my kids, I know how stressful it can be. You only have one chance to make a good impression on each college you apply to. My wife and I have spent hundreds of hours researching on the internet, attended seminars from admission officers from different colleges and visited the campuses of many of these top colleges. I am very familiar with the subtle difference between what these top colleges look for. I can consult on how to make the student stand out with the appropriate extracurricular activities and the unique personal statements and supplemental essays. Both my kids chose to attend Stanford after receiving offers to other top schools.
ISEE,

ISEE

I have worked with multiple families to prepare their children for ISEE and SSAT. I have also tutored many students to prepare them for ACT and SAT. Besides reviewing the material, I teach specific test taking strategies on how to get the correct answer even if you don't know it.
SAT Math,

SAT Math

The standard approach of tutoring SAT Math seems to be reviewing math topics and working on as many problems as possible from an SAT practice book. This type of preparation is time consuming and has limited success. My proven method is very different. I believe students benefit more from an individualized approach targeting their weaknesses. I teach students various strategies to find the correct answer even if they don't know how to solve the problem directly. For students who struggle with making careless mistakes, I teach them effective techniques they can use to minimize these costly mistakes. After a last-minute two-hour lesson, one student took the SAT a second time and improved their SAT math score from 590 to 650. Another two of my students improved their scores from the mid-600s to mid-700s after just 10 lessons.
ACT English, ACT Reading, ACT Science, PSAT

Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (85 ratings)
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Reviews

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All reviews comes prepared great help accommodating really helped helped my son

Best tutor for my son

After 17 lessons that my son (a sophomore in a very competitive high school) has had with Ed, I can say with confidence that Ed is a fantastic tutor, that WILL make a difference in your child's understanding of complex math problems, greatly reducing his/her stress levels, as he is not only a knowledgeable, patient and effective tutor, but he is also a resourceful and caring teacher. Ed is able to assess where the gaps and weaknesses are, and he will suggest a strategy to remedy those problem areas. He is always well prepared for the session, and brings his own materials with relevant exercises for practice. I also appreciate Ed's written summaries at the end of each session, so parents are informed about the progress. I really like Ed's proactivity and it is evident that his student's success is a top priority. In a couple of occasions Ed call me to discuss specific issues that my son was having, and proposed to increase the number of sessions per week to cover the gaps of fundamental concepts. Once they were done with the review material, Ed suggested to go back to once per week. As a result, Ed has earned my trust and immense gratitude. Thanks to him my son feels confident, worry and stress free before exams and quizzes, and he is keeping an excellent grade in the class - all of which is priceless to me. I couldn't recommend Ed more highly. We will continue to use his services as long as needed, knowing our son in great hands.

Marisol, 41 lessons with Ed

Knowledgeable and Patient Tutor

In this lesson, I finished learning limits and started a chapter on derivatives. I had some sloppy mistakes and Ed was patient and helped me realize what I would be doing wrong.

Brian, 21 lessons with Ed

Very Knowledgeable

Ed Explained things very clearly and even offered a better design to my solution. I highly recommend him for Macros & VBA. He troubleshooted the errors and explained in detail why it was not working.

Joseph, 1 lesson with Ed

Knowledgeable, structured and thorough

Prior to the first lesson, Ed requested information on my son's maths curriculum and textbook. From this I knew that my son would get the help he needed from the right person. The structure that Ed has provided from the very first tutoring session has been a godsend, and my son really enjoys his sessions with Ed, who continues to challenge him each session to ensure he fully understands the concepts he needs to know going forward.

Gail, 9 lessons with Ed

Knowledgeable

I've worked with Ed on a number of projects to analyze data. I appreciate his attention to detail and the quality of the finished work product to provide relevant insights.

Peter, 8 lessons with Ed

Excellent Math Tutor

Ed is very knowledgeable in Geometry and provides great help for my kid. He is also very accommodating and flexible to meet the needs of the student. I would highly recommend him!

Jennifer, 14 lessons with Ed

Great tutor

My son's grade has gone up since working with Ed. He's great at explaining algebra 2 and trig in was that have really helped my son. He's exactly what my son needed to get through this class.

Gabrielle, 11 lessons with Ed

Committed, prepared, knowledgable and patient

Ed is a well-prepared and thorough teacher who commits himself to the individual math needs and learning styles of each of my children. He comes prepared with a computer and large monitor to walk the children through a curriculum and learning tools that are on-line. My children have been very happy with their sessions with Ed.

Teru, 91 lessons with Ed

Great First Lesson

We had originally scheduled for one hour, but there was so much to learn that we ended up going to almost 3 hours. I'm excited to reschedule our next lesson, so that I can learn more from Ed.

Kevin, 8 lessons with Ed
Contact Ed

Response time: 17 minutes

$90/hour

Ed L.

$90/hour

  • No subscriptions or upfront payments

  • Only pay for the time you need

  • Find the right fit, or your first hour is free

Contact Ed

Response time: 17 minutes