Jeffrey: Buckeye tutor

Certified Tutor

I have always been passionate about physics and mathematics, and I have always been passionate about teaching. Students of all varieties deserve a quality education in these subjects, whether or not they intend to pursue careers in science.

I have done some degree of teaching and tutoring for over a decade, though I began to do so regularly in college. From 2007 to 2009, I tutored and occasionally taught math classes at the Minnesota Internship Center, a charter school in Minneapolis, MN that primarily serves Somali immigrants. During this time, I was also a tutor for the Macalester College Department of Physics and Astronomy, where I obtained my B.A. in physics and mathematics in May 2009. In 2009, I was a private tutor in calculus for two different students.

From September 2010 through December 2011, I was a teaching assistant in introductory physics courses at Boston University, where I obtained my Ph.D in physics in May 2016. This teaching encompassed typical introductory material (Newtonian mechanics and basic electromagnetism) for a variety of skill and interest levels, both calculus and non-calculus based. From January 2014 to June 2015, I was a volunteer tutor at Beacon Academy, mainly for algebra, for motivated students attempting to enter competitive high schools who did not have the financial means to do so without scholarships.

As I've mentioned, I obtained a B.A. in physics and mathematics from Macalester College in May 2009, and I obtained my Ph.D in physics from Boston University this past May. I will soon be entering another degree program at Boston University, this time for a masters degree in teaching. Teaching and tutoring are not a side interest to me - I aim to be a career high school teacher.

I am qualified to tutor physics up through the GRE level, in addition to all the required mathematics needed for such physics. My favorite subject to tutor is probably calculus, at virtually any level. I love the way it combines basic ideas - the derivative is the slope of a function at any given point, the integral is the area underneath a curve - with real mathematical rigor, and seeing students connect to these concepts is a delight. Calculus is essentially what got me interested in physics in the first place, and applying it to basic concepts such as the relationship between position, velocity and acceleration is another great way to test students' understandings.

My basic teaching philosophy is to let the students figure it out for themselves as much as possible. Physics in particular must be learned through constant practice and interactivity. I am happy to provide hints and steer students in the right direction, but only in such a way that they eventually arrive at the answer themselves.

Outside of academics, I have pretty typical interests. I enjoy playing guitar, listening to music both live and recorded, going for long walks, and reading for pleasure (although even these books tend to be academic - just not in physics!).