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Test prep (math, reading, writing), math, elementary, ESL
Bobby J.

5.0 (1,177 ratings)

2,608 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $42
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Response time: 33 minutes

About Bobby

Bio

Dear Students and Parents:

My experience includes test preparation, high school math, all elementary subjects, and English as a second language.

My specialties in test preparation include SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, Praxis 1, NV HS proficiency, GED, ASVAB, IELTS, and TOEFL. I have extensive experience in tutoring all parts of these tests: mathematics, reading, and writing.

Mathematics: Most students need a review of various math subjects before taking any qualifying exam. The math skills...

Dear Students and Parents:

My experience includes test preparation, high school math, all elementary subjects, and English as a second language.

My specialties in test preparation include SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, Praxis 1, NV HS proficiency, GED, ASVAB, IELTS, and TOEFL. I have extensive experience in tutoring all parts of these tests: mathematics, reading, and writing.

Mathematics: Most students need a review of various math subjects before taking any qualifying exam. The math skills emphasized vary from one test to another, and on many tests the math sections are heavily dependent on reading ability. The type of reading included in the math sections is, however, very different from that in the reading sections. Many students have received very little instruction in school on interpreting quantitive materials: such texts are not part of the English curriculum, and many math teachers simply throw up their hands at the prospect of teaching reading.

Reading: Each standardized exam has its own special way of testing reading ability. Many students preparing for the reading sections of standardized tests need to put more effort into the peculiarities of the specific test than into improving reading skills. The Nevada high school proficiency test is an exception: some students need a thorough review of reading skills.

Writing: Many tests include one or two essays and multiple-choice items on grammar and syntax. Doing well on such exams requires an ability to organize sentences, paragraphs, and the essay as a whole. That organization includes a variety of techniques that guide the reader through the piece of writing. Most of the grammatical items on a typical test fall into a fairly short list of types, and students benefit greatly from reviewing those types.

High school mathematics: I take pains to figure out just what the student's problem is and then use accessible language to lead the student to discover how to overcome the difficulty. My experience in giving private lessons convinces me tha

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Education

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
math
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Masters

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

Bobby is a qualified and experienced teacher of both mathematics and English, and his specialty is test preparation.
ACT Math

ACT Math

Bobby has spent more than a thousand hours helping high school students prepare for standardized university entrance exams. Not only has WyzAnt has approved him for geometry, algebra II, statistics, precalculus, and calculus, but he has taught all these subjects in the classroom and in both in-person and online tutoring situations.
ACT Reading

ACT Reading

Bobby has more than a thousand hours experience preparing students for university entrance exams. Having academic qualifications and teaching experience in both English and math he teaches all parts of the exams: reading, writing, and mathematics.
Algebra 1

Algebra 1

In addition to having taught Algebra 1 in high school and in remedial programs in college, Bobby has presented Algebra 1 in private lessons to dozens of learners from junior high school pupils through adults. Students and their parents are appreciative of his competence, thoroughness, and patience.
Algebra 2

Algebra 2

Bobby has taught algebra 2 in the classroom and has given hundreds of in-person and online private lessons both to students who have fallen behind and to students who want to move up from being second best in their class. His emphasis on mental computations and drill on the essential skills build students' confidence and ability to attack new challenges. Students who were previously weak in math like to tell about how they have begun helping their peers with homework.
ASVAB

ASVAB

As a teacher with academic qualifications and substantial experience teaching both English and math, Bobby now specializes in test preparation. His experience teaching physics and general science are especially helpful for preparing prospective enlistees show that they have what is needed to succeed in a wide variety of military occupational specialties.
Calculus

Calculus

Bobby has taught calculus in the classroom and in tutoring situations. He reports that students' problems with calculus rarely occur because the current lesson is too difficult. He says that problems usually come about because of some gap in the learner's background. Because students are not able to diagnose such gaps, they need extra help beyond what is available in the classroom. Bobby's extensive experience in giving private lessons makes him quick to spot problems and come up with help designed to the particular student's learning style.
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

Bobby taught primary and intermediate subjects full-time in a self-contained classroom in elementary school for seven years. He had regular certificates (now expired) in K-6 and in early childhood. His has tutored all elementary subjects, including handwriting, reading, writing, spelling, science, math, social studies, and phonics.
Elementary Math

Elementary Math

When Bobby became an elementary teacher, he had already been a high school math teacher and an applied statistician. He is a mathematician's teacher of elementary math using algebra and geometry to support understanding of arithmetic. Mental computation is a subject in which he has had particular success, and parents and children are always delighted at how a solid foundation in mental arithmetic enhances a boy or girl's confidence and eagerness to take on new challenges. His experience has also taught him the patience to present the same material to the same student again and again while still keeping it fresh. In short, Bobby combines the skills of a master elementary school teacher with a mathematician's deep and broad knowledge of the subject.
Elementary Science

Elementary Science

I have academic training in math, English, science, and social studies. That is, I'm a math teacher, an English teacher, a science teacher.
English

English

In addition to having taught freshman composition in university, Bobby spent 18 years as a teacher of English as a second language. He has earned 24 graduate credits in English, and while he worked as a statistician, he not only made formal written reports of his findings but also edited reports written by less senior researchers. A master of grammar, usage, and syntax, Bobby is highly qualified to teach the multiple-choice sections of writing exams as well as essay writing.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

Bobby has been a full-time teacher of English as a second language for nearly 20 years. In addition to his work in the classroom, Bobby has spent hundreds of hours giving in-person and online private lessons to male and female learners of all ages and all levels of English proficiency. His writing experience ranges from presenting the alphabet and capitalization to learners with no English proficiency all the way through to helping advanced students master the six-paragraph essay needed for university entrance. Although grammar is a particular specialty, students often associate him with his popular style of teaching pronunciation. They repeatedly make comments like, "I've had a dozen English teachers, but Bobby is the first one who has ever helped me with pronunciation," or "I wish I had had Bobby back when I was just beginning to learn English."
Finite Math

Finite Math

The topics typically covered in a course in finite mathematics are all matters that Bobby studied as a graduate student in economics and statistics. Model building is at the heart of economics, a subject in which he holds a master's degree. Matrix algebra is at the core of econometrics and linear algebra, two subjects Bobby studied in great detail as a graduate student. Linear programming is another topic that he studied in graduate courses in advanced microeconomic theory and in mathematical economics. Combinatorics is a standard part of high school Algebra II, and it is also part of the foundation of probability theory, which is the basis of statistics, Bobby's specialty. Before he worked as a statistician, Bobby took 18 graduate hours in statistics, plus two courses in econometrics. In short, Bobby is not only an outstanding teacher of mathematics, he is also master of the topics typically included in finite math courses.
GED

GED

Bobby holds a bachelor's degree with a major in mathematics and a minor in physics. His master's degree is in economics with a specialty in statisics. He has 24 graduate credits in English and 18 graduate credits in history and has taught these subjects both in the classroom and in tutoring situations. A specialist in test preparation, he reports that he especially likes helping young people with the GED because the learners are always highly motivated and because the variety of subjects helps keep sessions interesting.
Geometry

Geometry

Bobby has a bachelor's degree in math and has taught geometry in the classroom and in tutoring situations. He knows what difficulties students struggle with in geometry, and he has developed methods for helping them overcome those challenges. Learners often comment not only on his competence, but especially on his patient ways of presenting difficult concepts.
GMAT

GMAT

Bobby is the one-stop test specialist with academic qualifications and teaching experience in reading, writing, and math. His English experience includes teaching the standard university freshman writing class and teaching students of English as a second language to master the six- paragraph essay needed for admission to US universities. He is adept at helping students spot errors in usage that appear in the GMAT multiple-choice questions on writing. For most college grads the biggest challenge on the GMAT is math. Bobby has a bachelor's degree in math and a master's degree in economics with specialties in mathematical economics and in statistics. He has taught all the math curriculum through calculus.
Grammar

Grammar

Having taught grammar to American students in high school and college and to ESL students of all ages and all levels of English proficiency, Bobby is a master of explaining English usage from the point of view of both native speakers and of adult learners of English. Students and parents value his way of presenting material in straightforward language and his ability to keep lessons fresh even while going over the same point many times.
GRE

GRE

Bobby has taught a 27-hour class in GRE preparation numerous times, and he has given private lessons to many students preparing for this exam. Bobby teaches all parts of the GRE: reading, writing, and math. Prospective graduate students need to prepare for all sections of the GRE to become familiar with the exam's somewhat peculiar ways of framing questions. As for reviewing the material to be tested, students usually need to devote most of their effort to the quantitative section for the simple reason that their math may have gotten a bit rusty in the years since high school. Fortunately, Bobby is a teacher of algebra, geometry, and statistics, and he is skilled at helping students refresh their math skills in preparation for graduate study. The multiple-choice writing questions are another area requiring serious preparation. The student must spot and repair errors in grammar, syntax, and rhetorical technique. Fortunately, because most of the questions in this part of the GRE fall into a rather short list of common types of pitfalls, a systematic review can greatly improve performance.
Handwriting

Handwriting

When Bobby first became a primary school teacher, he devoted himself to improving his handwriting. Having previously been a math teacher, he was already good at drawing arcs of circles and line segments, the two components of all manuscript letters. Later, when he was assigned to teach intermediate grades, he had to improve his cursive. He took several courses in handwriting and in calligraphy. The other teachers in his school, women with twenty to forty years experience, used to have the children copy letters from a handwriting textbook, but Bobby was able to tell the pupils that they should simply copy exactly what he had written on the board. His experience tutoring handwriting lead him to report that improvements are quick and substantial when a competent instructor takes time for one-on-one instruction.
IELTS

IELTS

For the seven years ending last month, I taught English as a second language at a university where I prepared students to take the EILTS or the TOEFL so that they could qualify to take for-credit university courses. In addition to my classroom work, I also worked privately with students preparing for the IELTS. Some of them were preparing for the general version of the test so that they could qualify for a job or immigrate to countries such as Australia. I also helped students prepare for the academic version, not only for entrance to university for their first degree but also very advanced students who were preparing for advanced medical training in Britain.
Linear Algebra

Linear Algebra

Bobby took two graduate courses in linear algebra and received two grades of A. The teacher of those courses offered to be his major professor if he would pursue a Ph.D. in the mathematics department. In addition, as a graduate student he applied linear algebra in four econometrics courses in the economics department and several courses in theoretical statistics in the mathematics department.
Microeconomics

Microeconomics

Bobby holds a master's degree in economics and has taught elementary and intermediate price theory (microeconomics) and national income theory (macroeconomics) in the classroom and in tutoring situations. For 15 years he worked as an economic researcher. Problems that students have studying economics often have more to do with mathematics than with social studies. Fortunately, Bobby has a bachelor's degree in math and has taught every math course from intermediate school through calculus. He understands your struggle and has solutions.
Phonics

Phonics

During the years when Bobby was a primary teacher, he taught both first and second grades. Having had a strong interest in phonetics and phonemics since taking a short course in the International Phonetic Alphabet when he was in high school, he really took to teaching phonics. Over the years he has taken several courses in teaching reading, and when he became a primary teacher, he had extensive instruction specifically in teaching phonics. In fact, his interest in the sounds of English and their representation with letters of the alphabet was an important part of his motivation for switching from teaching primary grades to teaching English as a second language. Parents of young children that Bobby has tutored in phonics, report that his enthusiasm for the task rubs off on the children. He looks forward to helping other children with this subject that many teachers find boring.
Praxis

Praxis

As a retired math and English teacher who now specializes in test preparation, Bobby has strong qualifications for Praxis I, and he has experience preparing students for that exam on "core academic skills". Other tests he teaches include the GRE and the GMAT. Math: Bobby teaches all elementary and high school math in addition to calculus, linear algebra, and statistics. His academic qualifications include a bachelor's degree in math and a master's degree in economics with specialties mathematical economics and statistics. He spent 15 years as a full-time applied statistician. He has (now expired) licenses to teach high school math in Illinois and the District of Columbia. Writing: As a full-time teacher of English as a second language for twenty years, Bobby taught writing to learners at all levels of English proficiency--especially students preparing to enter U.S. and British universities, graduate schools, and professional schools. He has taught freshman composition in college. His academic qualifications include 24 graduate credits in English, including modern English grammar and writing for business and industry. Reading: In addition to his 24 hours of graduate credit in English, Bobby has also earned 18 hours of graduate credit in history. Bobby has long experience teaching the reading sections of the SAT, the GRE, and the GMAT. During his career as a teacher of English as a second language, he taught reading to students who were about to enter US universities and graduate schools.
Prealgebra

Prealgebra

Bobby is both a grade school teacher and a math teacher. Besides having taught intermediate grades, he has taught all high school math subjects in the classroom and in tutoring situations. Parents and junior high school students appreciate his patience and his ability establish rapport as well as his ability to make arithmetic and algebra accessible.
Precalculus

Precalculus

Bobby has taught precalculus in the classroom and has given hundreds of in-person and online private lessons. He knows the difficulties students face and how to help them recover. The first half of the corse is a review of algebra and an extension beyond the analytic geometry taught in Algebra 2. Bobby has taught that material many times in algebra classes and in precalculus. Trigonometry, which usually makes up most of the second half of the course, is a challenge for many students because it is very different from their previous experience and because it involves considerable memorization. Over the years Bobby has developed methods that help students overcome these difficulties.
Probability

Probability

Bobby took two graduate courses in probability and ten in statistics and econometrics. He is qualified to help students understand the various probability distributions that underlie statistical theory. For fifteen years he worked as a professional statistician routinely applying principles of probability. As a math teacher he has taught probability as a part of algebra courses and statistics courses.
PSAT

PSAT

Unlike most SAT prep teachers, Bobby is both a math teacher and an English teacher, and he teaches all parts of the SAT exam, reading, writing, and math. Bobby has spent more than a 1000 hours in the classroom teaching preparation for the SAT and more than a hundred hours tutoring SAT prep.
SAT Math

SAT Math

Bobby has spent well over 1000 hours in the classroom teaching SAT math in addition to hundreds of hours in private lessons. He knows the peculiarities of the test and how students need to get ready to face them. He prepares students who are looking for top scores and students who need help to achieve a barely average score.
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

Many times Bobby has taught a 27 hour course on all parts of the SAT. During his 15 years as a teacher of English as a second language he helped numerous students prepare for university entrance exams. He is especially strong in helping students improve vocabulary, perform on the multiple-choice questions on English usage and syntax, and quickly write well organized short essays. Many students like to work with Bobby because they find exam preparation is more efficient when one tutor handles all sections of the exam.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

Bobby has spent more than 1,000 hours teaching SAT prep. He is familiar with all the tricks.
SSAT

SSAT

Bobby has been in the test preparation for more than 30 years. He began with exams for graduate school and for university. As a retired elementary school teacher he also teaches entrance exams for private schools and for high school. His qualifications include experience and graduate school training in both English and mathematics. Bobby is the one-stop shop for a wide variety of qualifying exams.
Statistics

Statistics

Bobby holds a bachelor's degree in math and a master's degree in economics with specialties in mathematical economics and statistics. For fifteen years he worked full-time in applied statistics conceiving and designing research projects, supervising data collection, analyzing results, reporting findings orally and in writing, and editing reports written by less senior researchers. Bobby reports that very often the stumbling blocks in statistics courses do not derive from especially challenging aspects of the lesson at hand but from the students' being somewhat rusty on some bit of algebra in a course taken years earlier. Bobby is a math teacher who is adept at diagnosing difficulties that students face and presenting mini lessons to fill in gaps in students' background. In short, Bobby is both a math teacher and a statistician who helps students master a sometimes dreaded course and gain the confidence that makes going to class a satisfying experience.
TOEFL

TOEFL

Several parts of the TOEFL are far different from anything most students have ever faced, and so help from an experienced teacher familiar with the exam is essential. Bobby is a retired teacher of English as a second language and now specializes in test preparation. During his 20 years as a full-time teacher of English as a second language, he helped many students prepare to take the the TOEFL both in small groups and in private lessons. His students often make favorable comments about his ways of teaching grammar, oral presentations, writing techniques, pronunciation, vocabulary, and general test taking skills.
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

Bobby has taught trigonometry in college and has tutored many students in the subject. He knows how to help students get through such challenges as memorizing formulas, applying those formulas in different situations, and using the graphing calculator. Students are appreciative of his skill and patience.
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

As a teacher of English as a second language with twenty years' experience, Bobby has had much experience helping learners of all ages improve their reading and speaking vocabulary. Not only does he have long experience teaching primary and intermediate grades, but he also has taught vocabulary and other skills to older children and adults. In fact, he is a writing coach for children and adults--native speakers and learners of English as a second language..
Writing

Writing

Bobby has spent twenty years as a classroom English teacher, and he has tutored many students in how to write essays. In addition to teaching how to organize an essay, Bobby specializes in grammar, syntax, and usage, the skills needed to perform well of multiple-choice writing questions.

Examples of Expertise

Bobby has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 4 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Response time: 33 minutes

Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (1,177 ratings)
5 star
(1,144)
4 star
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3 star
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Reviews

Outstanding Tutor!

Bobby is very thorough and patient with my son. He is sure my child understands the information before he moves on with his lesson. He has a kind and gentle personality. I am completely happy and grateful for Bobby! Thank you so much for your help!

Ruth, 3 lessons with Bobby

Very encouraging

Bobby is so encouraging to my son when it comes to his handwriting. I really like his style of teaching with my son. He has the perfect amount of sternness and compassion. Bobby is building my son’s self-esteem while he is working with him by praising his wins and tactfully, correcting his mistakes. I’m very appreciative of Bobby‘s teaching style.

Nancy, 7 lessons with Bobby

Very encouraging

Bobby is so encouraging to my son when it comes to his handwriting. I really like his style of teaching with my son. He has the perfect amount of sternness and compassion. Bobby is building my son’s self-esteem while he is working with him by praising his wins and tactfully, correcting his mistakes. I’m very appreciative of Bobby‘s teaching style.

Nancy, 7 lessons with Bobby

Very nice, very intelligent

Helped me so much with intermediate microeconomics! Made sure I understood everything before moving on. Very smart, and all around great guy!

Preston, 1 lesson with Bobby

great person, great teacher

Bobby is super experienced and knows his stuff. He taught me more algebra in five sessions than my real school teachers taught me in five years. Bobby was my first tutor and he really made me look at tutoring differently, I used to think tutoring was just helping someone with their work, but no. Bobby taught me strategies I’d never heard of and helped me do mental math ten times the speed I started with. Bobby is a hard working man who works anywhere from a couple hours to a whopping 14 hours everyday. Hes always able to squeeze you into his schedule. Bobby is by far the most patient, and helpful teacher I’ve had. Thank you for your time Bobby.

Scotty, 7 lessons with Bobby

great person, great teacher

Really nice, patient, and helpful and made sure i wasnt too stuck on any problems, by far the best teacher ive had

Scotty, 7 lessons with Bobby

we enjoyed the lesson!

He was punctual, enthusiastic and personable! We told him what we were looking for, he was able to assure us that he could assist. My daughter came out the lesson excited to tell me what she learned! We will be doing regular lessons with him going forward! Thank you!

Alexis, 3 lessons with Bobby

Amazing Tutor!

As a foreigner who is studying for the SAT, I was quite lost in the beginning. However, Mr. Bobby helped me catch up on the topics I didn't learn or forgot, in a short period of time. He was very patient and understanding while teaching me. He knew my struggles as a foreigner, and he explained the topics in many different ways when I was confused. He also ALWAYS made time for me when I needed a lesson with him.

Anonymous, 7 lessons with Bobby

Knowledgeable & patient tutor! I felt really comfortable asking questions and I did not feel judged at all. His main focus is for you to succeed in your class.

Bobby taught me Finite Math 1324, I am struggling with this course and he teaches you one step at a time. He makes everything as easier as he can. I would recommend him to anyone that is struggling with math.

Melissa, 5 lessons with Bobby

Bobby was very patient and took time to understand my complex statistics assignments.

Bobby helped me navigate behavioral statistics and took time explaining why and how curves in a distribution and z scores are found. I am not great at math, so statistics is very overwhelming for me but he was patient and made sure I understood how to solve the problems.

Andrea, 10 lessons with Bobby
Hourly Rate: $42
Response time: 33 minutes
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