Sean

Certified Tutor

It is my belief that in order to teach one must be willing to perpetually learn, and the starting point of learning is humility. As Socrates famously states, "the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." Once we realize our position we can truly make progress. Tutoring is all about patience, diligence, and encouragement. I am serious about my work, but I feel it is important to keep the mood light at times and build a solid rapport.

It was during graduate school when I discovered my passion for tutoring. As a graduate assistant I tutored undergraduate students in deductive logic. The next step was volunteering for group called Seeds of Literacy and helping students prepare for the GED test. At this point I realized that tutoring was something I really enjoyed, and I began my professional tutoring career. I've been going strong for almost seven years. Most of my experience is with math, writing, and standardized test-prep, but I've done a bit of everything over the years. Additionally, I am comfortable with the social and natural sciences. In terms of ages I am best suited for the high school and college levels, although I do enjoy helping with younger students, too.

I attended Baldwin Wallace College for my undergraduate degrees in economics and philosophy and Cleveland State University for graduate degree coursework in philosophy. Aside from the degrees I took a variety of courses including mathematics, logic, psychology, comparative religion, and the natural sciences. Nowadays I still read philosophy, especially the works of Plato and Kierkegaard. Other intellectual pursuits include studying ancient history (typically deep antiquity) as well as some cosmology, astronomy, and physics.

I enjoy traveling, and I've been around Europe a few times, Mexico twice, visited Egypt once (easily my favorite trip), and a variety of trips here in the US. Travel is a wonderful activity not only for the sites and history one witnesses but also the cultures and individuals encountered -- most importantly, these things give us deeper perspective on ourselves and afford the opportunity for self-reflection and growth. That's ultimately what it's all about: improving ourselves, achieving our goals, and helping others. In my opinion, tutoring perfectly embodies these principles and any good tutor will constantly strive for these ideals with every student.