Hi, my name is Mike! A student of both science and math, I have bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, respectively, and a data analytics certification from the Institute for Statistics Education. My love of mathematics and numerical concepts runs deep, and I believe that I caught the bug from my father, who was a math teacher and counselor in the Conejo Valley Unified School District (as well as a tutor) for more than 40 years. Having good math...
Hi, my name is Mike! A student of both science and math, I have bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, respectively, and a data analytics certification from the Institute for Statistics Education. My love of mathematics and numerical concepts runs deep, and I believe that I caught the bug from my father, who was a math teacher and counselor in the Conejo Valley Unified School District (as well as a tutor) for more than 40 years. Having good math teachers in both grade school and college certainly helped as well. Their clear, intuitive lessons made the discipline even more fascinating to me, and I try to emulate them in my own instruction.
For more than a decade, I have been a substitute teacher in multiple local school districts; taught introductory pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry extension courses at LA Pierce College; and tutored K-12 students in various portions of the math curriculum in both one-on-one private lessons and on-campus, after-school study halls.
When tutoring, I always pay close attention to how students best absorb ideas and adjust my explanatory style to their mode of thinking. Where possible, I use diagrams to illustrate things more clearly, and I consistently explain the "why" behind concepts rather than just encouraging rote memorization, as deeper understanding helps everything stick more firmly. I also make use of mnemonics to assist with items that do require some degree of memorization. In short, I work to maintain student interest and keep things engaging instead of standard and dry.
I am currently tutoring kindergarten-level math through Algebra 2. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance in these subjects. I look forward to working with you!
