Elvis F.

MATH and PHYSICS tutor with 5+ years of tutoring experience

MATH and PHYSICS tutor with 5+ years of tutoring experience

I love being a tutor, a one-on-one teacher. I like to focus on an individual and identify their strengths and challenges, as well as what motivates them to keep going. I have come across students who struggled with math and physics, not because they were unable to comprehend the concepts, but because they were victims of a poor teaching technique. I once read a book titled "Disruptive Class" which asserts that the way we learn is not necessarily the way we are taught, and in order for our educational system to become more effective we have to develop a student specific approach, where every student has a teacher whose methods are specific to the way the student learns. I believe this approach is vital especially for tutors in my field. That is why my first priority is always getting to know my student, especially their approach to dealing with real and abstract concepts. I try to understand how he/she understands so I can identify the challenges in his/her method of understanding. I don't believe saying the same thing over and over is an effective method of teaching. It works sometimes, but I believe it is better to identify what is preventing the student from understanding the first time. Dealing with challenges like this has helped me develop a diligent and meticulous method of tutoring.

An important area of growth and improvement I have benefited from in the last few years of tutoring is the ability to relate to students of all categories, including those for whom math and physics might seem foreign, or those who just want to pass an exam, those who haven't done any math in a while and those who are bored and inattentive because they are not challenged enough. A good example of this skill at work, is how I use technology in teaching. We are in the age of computers, where a lot of the mundane everyday tasks are gradually being handed over to computers to give our brains space and time to be more creative. Nevertheless it makes some of us wonder whether we are encouraging our brains to become lazy. Maybe we're right. However, we cannot afford to under-prepare our kids for the reality that a technical know-how is fast becoming a necessary requirement in every job description. So we owe it to these young boys and girls to find a way to teach them the technical skills they need in a rapidly advancing industrial economy, while helping them avoid the dangers of over-dependency on technology. In my opinion it comes down to student specific instruction. Each student is different and we must become more diversified and flexible in our approach to teaching. As challenging as it sounds, this is why tutoring is very exciting for me, this is why I love tutoring.

I believe my job is done when a student successfully demonstrates equal confidence and knowledge in a given area of study. My satisfaction comes, not just from feeling that I did the best I could, but from vicariously experiencing success through my student's achievements. I believe effective communication is the first step to these achievements. For this reason I am always readily available, keeping the lines of communication open at all times, until the student achieves his/her goal. I look forward to being your partner in this journey of success.

Thanks for reading!