Find a Local Tutor Who Gets It

I would make a good tutor for Grade Potential because I understand that every student learns differently and am very good at explaining difficult concepts. My experience teaching dance to students ages 3-60+ has taught me how to give constructive feedback and to keep the students feeling positive and accomplished. I am also very reliable because I have my own car and value other people's time. I think communication is key to being reliable and will make sure that Grade Potential, my students, and I are always on the same page.I have privately tutored a few students in Pre-Calculus and Calculus 1. I have also participated in an after-school tutoring program where I tutored students from grades 3-12 on various subjects.

I believe I am a good tutor because I have a good grasp on how and why mathematics works. In addition to being able to teach well I have experience in using real math to solve complex problems in my physics and engineering courses. Because of my experience in applied math I am able to focus in on the most important concepts when it comes to Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus. While I worked at my previous tutoring center, I often saw tutors trying to teach techniques that were not very important. Many kids wasted valuable time doing exercises such as trying to simplify algebraic expressions that were extremely complicated. From my experience dealing with large algebraic expressions, I know that such exercises are likely to frustrate students and offer little reward in terms of mathematical skills. While I was able to teach these problems and help them get correct answers, I let small mistakes slide knowing that mistakes are quite common and that real mathematicians use different, more advanced techniques. When it came to the most important, useful techniques, I made sure to give extra explanation to really ensure my kids knew what they were doing. On the essential techniques of algebra and geometry I made sure to point out the importance of what we were doing and give extra problems, this time not letting any mistake or misconception slide. In this way I was able to gain trust from my students and keep them more motivated to learn useful, important math, and not get discouraged by processes that are never even used in real math.I have proven myself to be reliable through my excellent grades, which i could not have achieved if I was not attending all of my classes on time, conscientiously studying my material, and keeping myself well rested and maintained in order to keep my energy and focus high. In addition, while working at my previous tutoring center I was routinely ten minutes early and was not late once throughout the entire summer.

I am very interested in helping others who are struggling with communication to learn and succeed at their efforts, because the ability to communicate effectively is so crucial to opening doors and leading to new opportunities in life. I am also a reliable person who honors his obligations.

I am a good candidate for a tutoring position with Grade Potential because I am responsible, experienced and I genuinely care about the success of my students. As my job history indicates, I received promotions at the two jobs where I worked for over a year. I believe this illustrates my dedication and commitment to my work. I am very reliable, and never late to or careless about work. I learned quickly and exceled at every position I had the opportunity to work. Through my education and experience as a tutor I developed an expertise for writing, researching and reading. I also enjoy these subjects and hope to make my students more comfortable with them. My tutoring techniques enable students to become successful writers even in my absence. I believe that one quality that makes me an excellent candidate for this position is that I invest myself in my work. For example, I evaluate the student progress throughout the session and give them recommendations to work on until our next meeting. If a student clearly needs more help than they anticipated, I successfully convince the student to schedule another appointment. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing real growth and progress in your students’ skills.

Grade Potential provides a fantastic opportunity for students to gain 100 percent of the tutor's attention as opposed to the 20-30 kids sharing direction in the classroom, but it also provides the tutor with an amazing opportunity to gain experience in the field of teaching. I have recently decided to join the teaching community after my undergraduate degree, and could not be more excited to break into the profession. I have worked in the research field every summer of my undergrad at Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, specializing in the ecophysiology of Scombrid fish including Bluefin tuna, Yellowfin tuna, mackerel, and smaller species such as Sardine and Anchovy. This has allowed me to understand and take part in applicable and valuable science. I have excelled in my Biology, Marine, and Statistics coursed throughout my career at Cal Poly, and feel that my knowledge can be applied to other college, high school, or middle school students and their ability to learn what is understood to be difficult material. Finally, I feel that I have learned a great deal of patience and responsibility from living in a household with a mentally disabled child, and have learned valuable ways to communicate to get a point across. I have enjoyed working multiple server and cashier positions, and enjoy forming close personal relationships with the customers and staff surrounding me. Between my research experience in the field, my academic understanding of the aforementioned subjects, and my communication skills with people from all walks of life, I believe that I myself have the potential to grow and succeed with Grade Potential, much like the students I hope to tutor.

I think I would make a great tutor for Grade Potential for a multitude of reasons aside from "knowing my stuff". First off, having worked in customer service for years, I am very patient with people and open minded as well. I like to maintain a positive rapport with everyone I interact with. I am fairly empathic and I find it quite easy to relate to almost anyone including younger folk. I am also a good communicator; when expressing information to someone I like to ask questions touching base with what I said prior to see if they understand, but if not, I will reiterate the information in a different manner that will be more effective. For example, I will cater the metaphors or level of language I use to the person I am interacting with. I am currently a part-time sales person in a specialty retail store and spend time there either identifying the needs of customers or explaining products to them. I have a positive attitude and feel rewarded when I am able to help others. I encourage my friends, family, and customers especially through things they may find difficult. I find that when you tell others they are capable, they believe in themselves more and that makes all the difference. I hold it to myself to be a dependable person and always follow through on my word, especially in regards to others. I take pride in doing the things I say I will do. It disappoints me to disappoint other people, especially people who need help. I have been working since the age of 16 and definitely have learned the importance of being committed to your obligations. I am now a mature and responsible adult.

As a part of my spanish major I took courses in linguistics, writing/composition, and even how to teach spanish as a second language- with an emphasis on the use of technology. I have read and analyzed spanish literature from all over the world and was able to improve my conversational skills while living in Spain. I was taught by exceptional professors, many of whom are internationally recognized in their field of study. For my exercise biology minor I completed the Chemistry and Biology series as a part of my prerequisites before taking courses such as biomechanics, human gross anatomy, systemic physiology, sports psychology, and coaching concepts. As a part of my sport psychology class my term project consisted of assessing a fellow athlete and creating a mental skills training program to improve performance. I learned to assess an individual, create a comprehensive plan for performance enhancement, implement the plan, and track the individuals progress. I also mentored an elementary school student and gained experience working with young children. I received a great education at UC Davis and gained many skills to help me pursue my long term goal of becoming a Division I track coach. Any good coach knows how to assess their athletes and create a plan to help them best reach their individual goals. I believe my passion for coaching and experience at UC Davis would translate well to creating successful tutoring plans. As a full time student athlete I learned the importance of commitment, hard work, and time management. I am a responsible individual who knows what it takes to be successful. I am a fun person who know how to keep student on task while creating a positive learning environment.

I am very passionate about what I say I am going to do. Integrity is something I value in someone and in myself more than almost anything else. I am confident that I understand these subjects enough in order to help someone figure them out. I don't believe in telling the student how to do every single thing every single time. I believe that the best way for someone to learn something is to be able to work through it on their own. I'm there to guide them, not give them the answer.