Experience Summary
My background includes a Bachelor's degree in history and economics supplemented with minors in math, music, and secondary education. I have taught high school American History and tutored economics, algebra, geometry, and calculus. I particularly enjoy working with older students who are highly motivated and focused. However, one of the great joys in tutoring can be engaging the reluctant learner to make the content interesting and relevant.
My most recent teaching experience involved developing and implementing training sessions for an on-line state standards alignment company. While this experience does not cover the same content, the underlying skills are the same: conveying information so that the learner quickly understands and masters the concepts at hand. In the absence of visual cues during virtual training, I've learned to ask targeted questions to identify precisely which concept is the stumbling block, making me an even stronger candidate for one-on-one training.
Teaching Style
I approach teaching and tutoring as an exercise in problem solving. It requires assessment of the student's background, previously mastered skills, learning style, and engagement with the content. I believe that anyone can be taught anything; the key is developing an engaged, encouraged student with the fundamental knowledge to grasp the concepts at hand. Sometimes this requires remediation of specific skills. Other times, a student needs to understand the big picture so concepts can take root. Some students may require a visual demonstration while others master concepts best by diving head first into the content and asking questions when they arrive at a sticking point. I believe my flexibility and breadth of experiences and interests help me to connect to each student.