PhD Student; 10+ Years Experience; AP Math, Test Prep, and Beyond

Todd M.

I have been helping students with classes from calculus to German to chemistry both in the classroom and one-on-one for more than ten years, ranging across teaching experience at the high school and collegiate level as well as individual lessons for students from 11 to their 30s. I bring a wide variety of experiences to these efforts, in particular a record of deeply thinking about standardized test prep. I was the State AP Scholar (most AP exams passed) for Michigan, passing more than 20 AP exams with a score of a 5, including Calculus BC. I also scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, and attained scores in the 99th percentile on the GRE and GMAT. I hold several master's degrees, and I am currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan.

I've worked with students ranging from middle school through to candidates for graduate degrees, and have always aimed to meet them where they are with their questions. I apply the learning from my breadth of experience with various types of material and assessment to help them reach their goals. I strive to provide each student with a personalized learning experience. In order to accomplish that, I regularly construct multiple explanations in order to match their learning approach and regularly evaluate uptake of the material by working through examples both together and independently. Drawing on my experience in leading both classroom sessions and one-on-one lessons, I aim to always put material in a context that helps students to build a narrative of learning, helping them to retain material when they turn to the next topic.

I am an advocate of helping students to build not only a concrete grasp of the material at hand, but also a toolbox of intuitions for problem types so that they are able to tackle work independently. As I tell my students, part of my job as a tutor is to make myself unnecessary; if I succeed, then my students no longer need me. I am proud to say that I have seen many mentees grow into independent problem solvers over my years of tutoring.