CONNECTION & COMPREHENSION LEAD TO CONFIDENCE & ACHIEVEMENT

Students who study with me—and their parents—say that slipping grades are linked to a web of other issues:

• Testing anxiety. 

• Pressure to perform academically.

• Overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible workload.

• Perplexity about slow progress. (Why am I not getting this?)

• Classroom instruction that doesn’t connect. 

• Struggles with work organization.

I understand.

As a lifelong student of math and the hard sciences, I’ve fought my own way—through a mild case of ADD—to a deep understanding of what are, on the surface, obscure concepts. I know that trying to force yourself to “just get it” won’t help you learn or thrive.

That’s why I make sure I approach each student and every session individually to help you learn in a way that connects with you.

I use observation, intuition, and sensitivity to assess where you are in the mental game. I ask specific questions about overall understanding, test and quiz performance, class participation, and learning anxiety to come up with a plan that will help you thrive academically.

Ultimately, my goal is to work myself out of a job by helping you understand the material, take charge of your work, and succeed. 

I’d love to learn more about how I can help.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME

Following a 23-year career in the high-tech industry in Oregon’s Silicon Forest, I discovered that my lifelong study (and love) of math and science fits perfectly with my natural ability to connect with students, discern roadblocks, and frame the study and comprehension of these subjects in a way that makes sense to people with a variety of learning styles. It’s the perfect recipe. I love what I do.

Math and science bring me joy. But I also have the pedigree to back up my work. I earned an A.A. in general science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus; a B.S. in applied mathematics from Towson University; and a Master’s in computer science from Iowa State University, where I was PhD-qualified. I’ve been a private tutor since 2010, have had official tutoring associations with a number of local elementary and high schools, and have been an engineering instructor at Clark College.

I live with my sweetheart in Portland, where I’ve made my home since 1979. I have three beautiful, accomplished daughters and two grandchildren, whose observations about life and the natural world continually charm me.

I spend my free time reading, bird watching, choral singing, and observing the skies as an amateur astronomer. (Ask me about my popular lecture on preparing for the eclipse!)