"The first hour of tutoring is free so you'll see just how well you're going to like me and you won't hesitate to pay me for great tutoring results! (And even if you don't continue, you get a free session with no strings attached.) You will find that I am friendly, patient, and easy-going. I take sessions at a relaxed and comfortable pace so students don't feel nervous and pressured. I joke around a little bit and get to know students and build a bit of a relationship before just jumping in and getting more serious about the subject material. But there's plenty of time to get things done.

If you watch me closely during our sessions, you can see me secretly paying keen attention to you and how you learn best. For example, you might say, "It LOOKS like they want me to factor here." And I'll think, "Aha! LOOKS. Maybe you're a visual learner and like to SEE things explained and SEE examples. (About 80% of students are visual learners.) On the other hand, you might say, "It sounds like they want me to factor here." And I'll think, "Aha! sounds. Maybe you like to HEAR things explained, and you're a keen listener and like to hear things described clearly and specifically. Or maybe you'll say, "I FEEL like they want me to factor here" (as you tap the problem with your pencil). And I'll think, "Aha! FEEL. Maybe you learn by intuition and need to just jump in and work a problem or two with me step-by-step and discover the pattern of what's going on and pick up the FEEL of it. So...See, I understand. Listen, I understand. If you feel what I'm saying, I get it. I know how to get the point across based on how you learn. I am certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), and I know the psychology of how people learn. I may cost a little more, but I am attuned to how you learn, and we will get much more done, because I can tell when you're not really understanding something, and I'm not going to let you get away with it. I will ensure your success.

I understand what it feels like not to understand a subject very well. For example, I wasn't good at math in high school. It wasn't until college that I got a really outstanding teacher who knew how to teach so that everyone got it. And from then on, math was easy for me. And now things are about to get easier for you, too. When a tutor first meets a student, the tutor has to estimate the student's background knowledge of a subject and not overteach or underteach. Don't worry. I will very quickly have a feel for what you know and what you don't…and what you most urgently need to know to catch up.

If you're overwhelmed and don't know where to begin, you can just show up at our first session with just the basics, like blank paper and a pencil or laptop with your programming language, and we'll get started.

But if you really want your grade to increase fast, then bring everything important to your first session so I can get a sense of how your instructor determines your grades: textbook, laptop computer, and notebook (syllabus, assignment list, notes, homework, labs, projects, and quizzes & tests especially), and appropriate helpful materials (calculator, ruler, protractor, compass, colored pencils).

Things are about to get so much better for you...But let's get started right away, because the sooner you start, the more you will improve, and the better your final grade will be, but the longer you wait, the worse your problem will get, and the harder it will be to catch up." less...