Emerson

Certified Tutor

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, working towards a pre-med double major in Psychology and Biology (with a specialization in Neuroscience). Beginning in my early teens, I began working and volunteering as a tutor in a variety of environments: I began as a volunteer at a summer program for underprivileged children at the Learning and Tutoring Center of East Austin, and since I have worked as a private elementary school tutor, a private SAT-prep tutor, and a preschool tutor for the Neighborhood Schools Program in South Side Chicago. I have taken, and succeeded in, a broad range of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, and am familiar with the latest formats, question varieties, and scoring guidelines of these standardized tests, along with the SAT. My teaching philosophy is to go beyond "teaching to the test". Although test-taking skills are crucial for any assessment, I believe the most valuable thing a tutor can do is to enhance and help develop conceptual understanding in our clients. I believe that once a student understands something at the conceptual level, he or she will be much better prepared for the topic, not only in the specific test we are preparing for, but anywhere else it may come up. Memorizing words or equations might help somebody in the short term, but understanding why that word means what it means, or what an equation is actually depicting is worth the extra effort. Besides test-prep I think I can be a great help in writing and editing, as I have experience in everything from short, timed essays such as the SAT essay, to college essays, to research papers such as the IB Extended Essay. I am fully fluent in Spanish for anyone who wishes to communicate in or practice the language.
Outside of school, I enjoy running and fitness, mystery books and television, creative writing, and participating in sports and philanthropy through school organizations.