Hello! My name is April, and I have a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry. With a strong background in physics, my goal is to help each student gain physical intuition for solving problems. This will assist in solving a variety of problems in different contexts, rather than relying on memorization. I ask questions as we work through a problem, to encourage critical thinking, rather than just walking through the solution on my own. I aim to explain the solution in as many different ways until I feel...
Hello! My name is April, and I have a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry. With a strong background in physics, my goal is to help each student gain physical intuition for solving problems. This will assist in solving a variety of problems in different contexts, rather than relying on memorization. I ask questions as we work through a problem, to encourage critical thinking, rather than just walking through the solution on my own. I aim to explain the solution in as many different ways until I feel the student is satisfied. For students to succeed, I my goal is to cultivate their independence.
As a graduate student, I presented 30-minute lectures and prepared quizzes for three recitation courses for undergraduates in Quantum Chemistry for one semester. My office hours were sometimes filled with 15 students. I genuinely love to teach, and try to learn how each student individually learns, so that I can best help them. At the end of the semester, the head instructor said that his class performed the best on the final exam that he had in his teaching career, even though it was the same exam. I also worked individually with a student who had anxiety related disabilities, and they improved their grade from failing the midterm to an 80% on the final, ultimately passing the class.
Recently, I was an adjunct instructor for General Chemistry Lab I for one semester. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Spanish, where, as an undergraduate, I served as a department tutor in Organic Chemistry for two semesters, and where, during my senior year, I was a undergraduate teaching assistant for Thermodynamics for one semester. During my final year, I also worked as a middle school math tutor, helping individual and small groups of students learn up to pre-algebra level math.
I have experience in a variety of topics and a variety of ages, and I am adaptable, creative and empathetic. If you are interested in my help with Physical Chemistry or General Chemistry, please contact me to schedule a lesson!
