Josh

Certified Tutor

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

This quote is my motto for tutoring. Many nights, before I fall asleep, I think of new connections I can make between math, science, and the world around us. I believe to fully understand a concept, we must have a strong intuitive grasp, and this guides our problem-solving. Rote memorization works in the short-term, but when it comes to middle-school math and beyond, it's much more important to understand the *why* element. Math and science just make so much more sense when we can see its application in everyday life, and my hope is to instill that mathematical awareness in my students.

A bit of background about myself: I grew up in Skokie, Illinois (a suburb just North of Chicago), and I'm currently studying mathematics and computer science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My father is Mike Byster, a human calculator who has devoted his life to helping students overcome math anxiety.
I spent around an hour each day for 3 years as a volunteer high school math and science tutor in our school's academic resource center. I also tutored professionally outside of school for multiple high school students. I'm an active user on the online Stack Exchange network, answering math and computer science questions for free.

When I'm not tutoring or learning new concepts myself, you can find me playing fetch with my dog (a huge, fluffy, Golden Retriever), playing tennis with some friends, writing some entertaining computer program, or listening to tropical house & pop.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions about my approach or background. I'm looking forward to uncovering the true mathematical beauty which lies beneath the formulas.