Shawn: Orange tutor
Certified Tutor
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." -Albert Einstein
In this world of standardized tests and teaching to the lowest common denominator, students are falling through the cracks. It is my mission to help people realize how easy education and subjects can be. If someone fails a class it is the failing of the instructor not the student. We used to have these values and I am trying to bring them back. Learning is fun and just requires work like anything else. I am trying to make education easy and simple.
I am currently seeking to get my MBA from ASU. As such, many of my favorite subjects are business related. I love supply chain management and how it relates to everything in the business field. Understanding how logistics works and how interconnected everything is fascinates me. But as I got my start in mathematics, I try to relate everything to teachable theories that breakdown into simple facts.
My tutoring style is often based on this approach. Everything is related as long as you are able to make that connection. I like to take something that seems foreign and break it down into its basic concepts and relate that to something that is familiar. I have found that small victories win wars.
Outside of education, I am an avid hiker. I live in one of the greatest states to do it in and I plan on exploring all over. Outside of hiking, I enjoy travelling, beer surfing, couch surfing, and karaoke. If I am not out doing something, I am then snuggled up reading a good book or watching a great movie. I find that people who forget to take pleasure in the simple things in life often find themselves at a lost.
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Graduate Degree: Arizona State University - Current Grad Student, Mathematics
Hiking, Gaming, and Computers
- Accounting
- Advanced Placement Prep
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- Algebra 3/4
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Economics
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Microeconomics
- Arithmetic
- Business
- Calculus
- Calculus 2
- Calculus 3
- College Accounting
- College Algebra
- College Business
- College Economics
- College English
- College Essays
- College Level American History
- Cost Accounting
- Discrete Math
- Economics
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Finance
- Financial Accounting
- Finite Mathematics
- Geometry
- High School Accounting
- High School Business
- High School Economics
- High School English
- High School Level American History
- History
- Macroeconomics
- Managerial Accounting
- Math
- Microeconomics
- Middle School Math
- Multivariable Calculus
- Pre-Calculus
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- Social Studies
- Statistics
- Test Prep
- Trigonometry
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Each person has a unique style of learning. It is an educator's job to find that style and help you understand the subject.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First, we would figure out what you wanted to get out of the session. Do we need to rush, or are you trying to get ahead? Is there homework due, or are we test prepping?
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By assigning simple goals at first. Start small by having them figure out one part when you are not with them, and then they will start to do it on their own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Burn out is a real threat to education. It is important to do hard areas in chunks with easy parts spread throughout. Random acts of kindness and encouragement can help keep burnout at bay.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Concepts are the easiest to understand when you relate them to real life things that the student can relate to. Relate it to something they understand and the concept becomes easier to grasp.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension is all about understanding structure and word choice. You help people break down the structure and then simplify the word choice.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I find it easiest to assess a client's strengths and weaknesses by working a few problems out. Often people make mistakes that they do not know they are making. This causes them to be confused on what they are actually having problems doing.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Small victories. It is often small steps that help you solve big things. You run a marathon 1 step at a time.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
To truly be certain of how much they understand it, I have them teach it to me. Having them explain to you how to do it can often unveil misunderstandings they have about the subject.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Small victories. Often students get discouraged because they can not grasp the big picture immediately. If you start by having them identify the key parts, then set up, and finally solve, you have broken the problem into three parts that the student can tackle easily.