Victoria
Certified Tutor
I graduated from Hamilton College in 2014, where I received my BA in biology with honors. I am currently taking some time off of school to save up money and spend time with my family, but I ultimately hope to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology next fall. I am qualified to teach math and biology, and I am adept at editing college level papers.
My primary tutoring experience consists of my time as a college math literacy worker with the Young People???s Project. Every week, I would visit 7th and 8th graders in Utica, NY to help them with math assignments, and I led activities intended to promote student confidence and leadership skills. I also help friends and relatives with college level papers and college applications, working alongside these students to help them build stronger thesis statements, develop cohesive paragraphs, and organize their papers.
Although biology is my favorite subject to learn and research, I love tutoring students in math. Math can be a very difficult and frustrating subject, and students truly enjoy achieving the ???light bulb??? moment where a challenging topic suddenly makes sense. We can work toward this "lightbulb" moment together by finding out where the student has difficulties, and trying different learning materials to overcome these obstacles.
In my spare time, I enjoy hiking in the Adirondacks, walking my dog around Rotterdam, and teaching myself evolutionary biology. I???ve recently learned that I also love to travel, thanks to my long-term relationship with a French exchange student. I had the opportunity to travel to France twice this year, and I am now trying to teach myself French with the hopes that I can live there one day.
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Undergraduate Degree: Hamilton College - Bachelors, Biology, General
- ACT Composite: 32
- ACT English: 33
- ACT Math: 32
- ACT Reading: 32
- ACT Science: 33
- SAT Verbal: 700
- GRE Verbal: 167
I enjoy walking my dog, hiking, and listening to music. I'm also trying to teach myself French.
What is your teaching philosophy?
The most important characteristic a tutor can have is patience. It can be very difficult for a student to admit that they need help, and they will be much more responsive to a tutor that is able to break down the material without being condescending.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
During my first session with a student, I like to gauge their knowledge and their learning strategy. I like to see where in the course they began to "lose it," so we work toward what they are currently working on in class. It is difficult to understand the more complicated material if they basics don't make sense!
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
In math, I find that even when students understand the concepts, they may struggle with when and why to apply different equations. To help the student become an independent learner, I like to help them look for key words and phrases so they know how to answer the question on their own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Students are more likely to stay motivated when they know they are making progress. I like to focus on what they are doing right and how they have improved, rather than what they are doing wrong.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I know it can be very frustrating when a concept just won't make sense, especially in math. To overcome that, I think the best approach is to review what concepts/ideas are necessary to complete the problem. We will start with the simple ideas, and once those make sense we will work towards the most difficult parts of the problem.