Carmine: Petaluma tutor

Certified Tutor

I'm a student at American University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. I've been tutoring my friends informally for the past two years, mainly helping them with U.S. government, economics, and environmental science, while also proofreading essays and providing feedback (about word choice, structure, etc) to further polish them. Of those subjects, my favorite to tutor is U.S. Government. It's the first subject I tutored, and I think it's one of the best examples of the importance of having a foundation when trying to learn something. All of the layers and nuances seem intimidating and peculiar at first, but once you get an idea of how and why everything is connected, it all starts to make sense and the material becomes a lot more palatable. One thing I learned from tutoring government (and one of my favorite parts of tutoring as a whole) is how incredibly satisfying it is when someone is finally comfortable and confident with a topic they've been struggling with. Classes can be fast-paced and unforgiving, and often if you don't understand something, there isn't time to circle back and ask questions to resolve that confusion. As a result, people fall behind and it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up. My goal in tutoring is to help you catch up by figuring out where you're at, meeting you there, and working to build a foundation. If at any point the material becomes particularly challenging or you get confused, let me know. There's no judgment. If you have a question about the material, don't be afraid to ask it, regardless of how simple (or stupid) you may think it is. Whether it clicks for you in 5 minutes or 5 hours, I'm willing to work with you for however long it takes until you feel comfortable with the material. Everyone has innate potential, and I will work to make sure that one confusing concept or headache-inducing required class doesn't get in the way of you achieving that.