I grew up in a small town out in the country in south Texas where I learned how to do all sorts of things with my family, like gardening, fixing things, exploring the woods, fishing, camping, etc. I liked my small town life, but I wanted more. Once I learned how to read, I was insatiably seeking knowledge. My dad grew so tired of my questions that one summer, he bought an entire set of encyclopedias off of a door-to-door salesman. He then told me "no more questions till you've read all of these books!", so I did. I read every single one. In school I excelled and after high school my yearning for learning and travel took me to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York, a federal service academy. The Academy sends their students out to sea for a year on cargo ships around the world as part of their curriculum, so it suited me well. After graduation I worked many different jobs and careers all over the world, from driving LNG tankers in Australia to being a charter captain in the Caribbean. At sea I had to train cadets, sea school students who come on board for training, just like I once was. I also taught navigation and mechanics to any of the sailors I worked with that showed an interest. I loved seeing their faces as they began to understand the more complicated processes, and began to yearn for advancing in their careers. Now that I am ashore, I seek a more grounded life but I love helping others to learn, so I thought tutoring would be a flexible way to do so. I hope that I can help you to understand some of the difficult things our institutions make us learn, and help you to get to the next step in whatever path you are choosing to take.