Alexander: Tacoma tutor

Certified Tutor

My goal as a teacher is to impart knowledge of the subject matter and enthusiasm for the material to as many students as possible. Making the material enjoyable to students requires employing multiple methods for teaching the subject matter. Each student will approach a subject from a different background, each student will learn most effectively through a different method, and each course will require a different technique.
Having served as a teaching assistant at three different universities, I have experience at connecting with students regardless of the campus, class sizes, and student backgrounds. My biggest strength as a teaching assistant and a lecturer has been my ability to connect with students with diverse backgrounds enough so they feel comfortable approaching me with questions or concerns about the material. My students have a diverse range of educational and economic backgrounds, so I have to cater the material accordingly. Classes I have served as a TA for include thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and materials science. I have also taught chemical engineering thermodynamics and tutored ACT/SAT/PSAT prep for high school students, and high school math and science. In addition, I have worked in various biological and engineering labs over the years, so I have technical expertise in many general undergraduate science classes.
One of my main goals as an educator is to produce students that both feel confident in their own abilities to do independent work while also knowing when and how to rely on individuals with other skill sets to help fill in the gaps. While my students submit homework and tests individually, projects are conducted as group work, and I encourage students to work collaboratively while solving homework problems. This is to encourage better material understanding and a necessary skill in teamwork, while also making sure students are taking some initiative and are not completely reliant upon their classmates.
I hope this gives you a sense for the kind of tutor I will be. Please let me know if you have any questions.