John: Vernon Hills tutor

Certified Tutor

I graduated with honors from Millikin University in 2007. There I obtained a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in Secondary Education with a focus on History. Since then I have worked at Wheaton North High School in Wheaton, Illinois. My post graduate work has been focused on obtaining a Learning Behavior Specialist-1 endorsement to expand my professional development. To achieve this goal I have taken classes at North Central College in Naperville along with online courses. I have tutored for over a year with students in Naperville, using a curriculum to reinforce Math, English, and General Knowledge skills. I worked with students through early elementary to secondary levels.

My teaching and tutoring style is to work to help students develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills. In addition to this, I also strive to help the students think analytically about major concepts or situations. Working one on one with students is one of the best ways to achieve this. In fact it is my preferred method of teaching. I have developed these beliefs over my career and like a good student, am always evolving philosophy thanks to new experiences.

Since I was a child my passion has always been history. I love study of humanity that history allows us and it will be my favorite subject to tutor. The other branches of social science such as government and psychology also interest me. Thanks to my time at Wheaton North I also have experience with Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Basic Geometry, and Biology. Having a background in social science, I am very experienced with preparing essays for papers, projects, and tests; thus I can offer help in preparing multi-paragraph essays.

When I'm not teaching I love to write, mainly short stories and a continuing effort to try and produce an actual novel. I wouldn't have begun to love writing like I do if it hadn't been for my love of books. I'm an avid reader. I will not travel anywhere without a book in my backpack or my Kindle. Generally I enjoy the science fiction, military & historical thrillers, along with horror genres. It should also be no surprise I enjoy historical non-fiction. Thanks to my father I became a fan of golf and play on a limited basis. I'm also not ashamed to admit I enjoy video games.

I hope you have an idea of my education and background as I look forward to sharing my time with your student.