Tom M.
Private tutor in Portland, OR
Education
B.S. Astrophysics, Michigan State University, 2000 Studied with Jeffery Kuhn, Timothy Beers, Horace Smith and Gene Capriotti, among many others. Attended Davison High, in Davison, Michigan. Got a '5' on the Calculus AP exam, the only one offered in 1985. Spent about 15 years certified to fix dozens of brands of machines, everything from from Apple laptops to Atari game consoles (yes, the originals!) I got my final exams in people skills while managing a computer-oriented pawn shop in Lansing, Michigan, while finishing my degree.
Experience
I've been training, teaching and tutoring for technical subjects on and off since 1987, and tutoring exclusively (and now in Portland, Oregon) since 2005. I tutor simply because I enjoy helping others succeed. There is an easy and relatively permanent way; mastering the essential principles that will apply in all contexts. There are also an effective techniques to reliably recognize and combine them as appropriate for the situation. I specialize in preparing students for exams like the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT and MCAT, but can also teach advanced math, chemistry and physics at both the high school and college level. For the various tests, I can provide study material and several practice exams. I can usually help a student fully prepare in 4 to 8 weeks. When it comes to standardized tests, I believe in teaching to the test, and takings lots of practice tests, because the research shows that is the best way to improve your score. That doesn't mean short-cuts or tricks, though; it means knowing the essential principles of math, logic, science and English that you need to score high on the specific test, no more, no less. While you need to know essential math for the SAT, GRE, or GMAT, these tests are not math tests - they are problem solving tests, so I focus on the strategy and techniques to recognize and translate those essential principles into answers! Many people have difficulty with such exams because they're nervous about the stakes or can't focus on the questions because of the clock. If your real scores are significantly below your practice scores, such anxiety might be the cause. Likewise, if you find yourself forgetting things during the real test that you clearly remember knowing shortly before, you are almost certainly suffering from too much anxiety. (Some anxiety is actually a resource, but too much of a good thing backfires.) If you experience debilitating nerves with math specifically or tests generally, there are many, many options for dialing it down, so please let me show you a way out of the woods. If you seek help with math, physics or chemistry classes, then the main difference in my approach is simply omitting practice tests. The trade-off is that we do have to include ALL the relevant principles, which is more work for the student, but it's also more useful!
Subject Expertise
GRE VerbalChemistryHonors ChemistryGeneral ChemistryGMATGMAT QuantitativeGMAT VerbalGMAT Analytical Writing AssessmentGMAT Integrated ReasoningGREGRE QuantitativeGRE Quantitative ReasoningAP ChemistryGRE Verbal ReasoningSATSAT MathematicsSAT MathSAT VerbalACTACT EnglishACT MathACT ReadingACT ScienceCalculus 3AP Physics 2: Electricity and MagnetismAP Physics 2: MechanicsAstrophysicsIB Physics HLIB Physics SLPhysicsSAT Subject Test in PhysicsAP Calculus ABAP Calculus BCCalculus 1Calculus 2AP Physics 1Pre-CalculusGeometryAlgebra 1Algebra 2Algebra 3/4CLEP College AlgebraCollege AlgebraElementary AlgebraIntermediate AlgebraIntermediate Algebra
Availability
Weekdays in the morning, Weekdays in the evening, Sunday at any time
Can Meet
Up to 20 minutes away for no additional charge, Up to 1 hour away at my regular hourly rate
Hobbies
My hobbies include electronics, hiking, climbing, biking, reading, programming, gardening, and amateur carpentry (example: a loft for my son's room. Our next project is a hidey-hole box for his pet guinea pig.) I've also played soccer, baseball, piano and the french horn. I still play soccer, sort of, as assistant coach for my son's team. My special powers are explaining and patience. My students always get to interrupt, and I never talk down to anyone. I believe Western Civilization was founded by Thales of Miletus, the first teacher who deliberately taught his students to ask "but how do you know?" My weakness is discipline: I can show a student the easy way to approach things and suggest study plans that will pay off with improved confidence, comprehension and performance. But I cannot make someone choose to practice, or want to learn. I can share my passion for the subject(s), and for some students that's enough, but I am not a disciplinarian.
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