Tavares: Brockton tutor

Certified Tutor

I am a strong believer that all students are intellectually curious, and that they can take ownership of their own learning given the right tools and proper methods for stimulating the learning process. I generally have worked with students from adverse socioeconomic backgrounds as well as students from different countries, and have achieved tangible results in relatively short timeframes.

Born and raised in the St. Louis area, I attended Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, Illinois, where I earned my high school diploma. IMSA emphasized problem-based learning strategies, and further placed importance on the interconnected nature of math and science concepts. As a result, I learned to view mathematics on a continuum, rather than a series of discrete concepts, which is how math tends to be learned in many schools today. As a result, students do not learn how concepts build upon one another and "throw away" information after cramming for a test. My hope is to rectify this as a member of Varsity Tutors.

After high school, I returned to St. Louis and enrolled in Washington University, where I earned my B.S. in Civil Engineering. Soon after graduation, I earned my engineering intern (EI) license and spent several years working at firms in the Kansas City, mid-Michigan, and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas. My area of expertise came to be in the telecommunications industry, where I helped shape current analysis codes and worked with major wireless carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc) to ensure structral stability of wireless infrastructure, typically in the form of cell phone towers.

I have felt that my interpersonal skills could be better utilized by society and I have wanted to get students excited about math and science, so I decided to return to St. Louis and teach! I spent a semester teaching Algebra 1 in St. Louis and spent hours after school tutoring students in geometry and pre-calculus/trigonometry.

My interests outside of engineering and school include old-school video games, sports--namely Cardinals baseball, darts, cooking, and learning about different people and different cultures.

I am hopeful that I can be of assistance to you and provide a personable, engaging experience!