Certified Math & Science Teacher with 40+ yrs tutoring experience

Scott M.

I have taught math and science for 30 years and am certified to teach all math and science classes from 6-12th grade. I have taught all levels of math from pre-algebra through Algebra 2, and have tutored students in Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Probability & Statistics. I have also taught Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Earth Science. I have a Masters in teaching from the University of Michigan, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University.

I feel that connecting with students is the first step to their understanding of material. I am very good at asking questions to draw out the student's understanding to see where they stand, and where misconceptions may lie. In math, I feel that just "giving answers" doesn't help the student, I try a gradual release model. I will watch to see how a student might work a problem or two, and ask why they did it a certain way. After that, we will work together on a few, while each time I give more autonomy to the student, with both of us asking questions along the way. This helps to build the confidence in math and the stamina to work through when problems get difficult. Finally, I'll give a few more for the student to work on their own to check that he or she has the concept down.

In science, I'm am all about asking questions and using analogies. I can break down difficult concepts into simpler ideas from the students' lives. I try to make science relatable to them. By making big concepts small, a student can then grow their own understanding and fit it into future science classes, for example how the concept of convection currents can explain why spaghetti moves in a pot the way it does, to explaining why the Earth's tectonic plates move.