Miles: Palos Hills tutor

Certified Tutor

I teach technical material for "non-technical" people. Like me!

Through high school, college, and graduate school I've always done very well in math and science--but not because I am a natural, or that I "just get it." I had a unique habit among students: after each difficult lesson, I'd walk up to the teacher with a furrowed brow and ask...to talk.

I'd say, "So let me explain this idea back to you in my own words--tell me if this sounds right." I would ask "why" questions a lot. I would propose my own explanations and describe the connections that I saw. And I definitely wasn't always right. So we'd keep talking. I'd have them say it differently, I'd try to put the idea another way, use an example or an analogy. We'd draw pictures. I'd try to relate it to other things I already knew.

Now I'm an applied scientist who uses statistics in my work. But I'm still not a "natural" -- and I'm proof that you don't have to be one to succeed.

When we work together, I'll emphasize conceptual understanding. We'll use examples, draw pictures, come up with analogies, and talk through math using regular, everyday language. I'm extremely sensitive to different learning styles, and we'll adapt until I start seeing that "spark" of understanding in your eye. Some material is just difficult to learn--believe me, I've been there. But together we'll find the right angle to make it make sense!