"Hello students!

My name is John and my curiosity is insatiable. Although I have completed a B.S. in mathematics, a B.A. in philosophy, an M.S. in math education, and passed the national board exams for civil engineering, I still endeavor to learn and grow at every opportunity. After teaching math at the university level for two years and competing on the Spartan Race Pro Team, I decided to give away all my possessions and buy a one-way ticket to Alaska. I found a bicycle in Anchorage and rode it solo and unassisted across North America to New York City, where I tutored for four years at Columbia. My journey has since taken me up the coast to Harvard and MIT, where study energy policy and nuclear fusion engineering. I still ride the same bicycle to meet my students, rain or shine.

I chose tutoring over traditional classroom instruction because of the higher degree of freedom it allows me to tailor my lessons to individual students. The advantage of working in a one-on-one setting is that I can meet the student at his or her level of understanding and progress through the material in a logical way from that point. I believe in working at the student's pace and taking time to fill gaps in foundational knowledge. It is critical that the student constructs understanding through his/her own reasoning. Therefore, I typically don't lecture; I don't allow my students to be passive listeners.

What distinguishes me most from other tutors is that I have no lesson plans when working with students . I am trained as an inquiry-based teacher, which means, for each student, I create a progression of exercises that leads him/her along the path to understanding. While most beginning tutors are quick to demonstrate how much they know by doing the thinking for their students, I insist that my students complete assignments using their own critical thought.

Please take a moment to read my reviews to see how other students find my teaching style. I look forward to working with you!

John Y" less...