Jacob: West Valley City tutor

Certified Tutor

I graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2013 with a BS in Physics. I am currently enrolled in a PhD program in Physics at The George Washington University. Physics is my field of study, but this field goes hand in hand with mathematics, and thus I feel like I have more than adequate expertise to tutor both topics to a moderately high level. In addition, I have had many teaching opportunities between my time as an undergraduate and now. I was a teacher's assistant for many years, where I assisted students with their laboratory work. Additionally, upon graduation, I was hired as an adjunct professor in the Physics department. In that position, I ran my own lab sections; this helped develop my teaching skills beyond what simple duties could. At the moment, I am again a teacher's assistant in a second semester physics course. I have found that my role in the classroom is largely to fill in the gaps of understanding the students have in a one-on-one way; this happens either directly in the classroom or in private during my office hours. The teaching skills I have been able to pick up from these experiences I believe lend well to tutoring as well.

I have a noticeable passion for the sciences, physics especially. I love to learn this material simply because I find it interesting. However, I understand that not everyone shares my thoughts on the matter. I strive to find meaningful ways of relating coursework to my students' actual interests. For example, I teach many pre med students, and thus I try to focus on problems that involve medical instrumentation. I try my best to a student's individual needs and pace; I'm very patient and understanding. I genuinely care about learning and will do everything I can to help those who want to learn.