David: Kirkland tutor
Certified Tutor
I'm a passionate individual with 2 years of intense youth volunteer work for the Peace Corps in the country of Morocco and I spent the last year dedicated to high school social studies teaching in Kansas. I've been involved with teaching and working with youth, ages 9-18, for the last five years. Along with teaching I have coached youth tennis for a number of years both as a head middle school coach and assisted with the high school as well as at a private tennis club. I played college tennis and still greatly enjoy the sport. Outside of teaching and coaching tennis I have worked for four summers at a sleep away sports camp in Massachusetts. My role there as "Group Leader" includes overseeing about 60 ten-year old boys a day while having around 20 college aged counselors who report to me. This experience along with the past year of high school teaching continues to help me immensely with working through the many emotions and challenges and incredible opportunities that come along with being a student in school in today's world or being a teenager with the expectations and pressures that accompany being in middle school and high school.
Connect with a tutor like David
Undergraduate Degree: Rockhurst University - Bachelors, Psychology, Political Science, Philosophy
I read voraciously, both non fiction and fiction. I enjoy writing creative fiction as well, and I'm involved in political activism here in Portland.
- College English
- College Essays
- College Level American History
- College World History
- English
- ESL/ELL
- High School English
- High School Level American History
- High School World History
- History
- Homework Support
- Human Geography
- Other
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Reading
- Social Sciences
- Social Studies
- World History
- World Religions
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Einstein once said "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." I focus very strongly on talking with my students like people and finding the common ground for what we're learning about.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Tell a little bit about myself and give an overview of how our sessions will progress. I'll also want to find out about the student, including their learning styles, reasons for the session, and what their motivations are with learning.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Knowledge is power, and there is a moment when that sense of potential "clicks" in a student's mind and the thirst that was once ignored is now impossible to overlook. There are many different ways to do this, but a lot can do with the relationship between the student and me, fostering self-confidence, knowing how to ask the right questions, and knowing how to evaluate the answers that we find.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I would identify and minimize distractions, as well as making manageable short-term goals, along with consistent positive reinforcement and encouragement from me while also staying realistic about expectations.