Zachary
Certified Tutor
For my entire life I've had a passion for learning, for adventure, for food, to run. I've free-climed in Germany, played baseball in Korea, hitchhiked in Argentina, and drove across gelid Mongolia through winter.
My disparate life is united by an insatiable curiosity, a desire which proves invaluable in both teaching and learning. This curiosity has taken me around the intellectual, and physical, world. I started out studying physics at seventeen, after two years fell in love with literature, and switched majors, picking up another along the way--political science--and earned my first two degrees.
After university, I wanted to discover a new culture, and profession, and settled on teaching in China. For three years, I taught English and explored China, from busy Wuhan to desolate Xinjiang.
Now I find myself back in the States, teaching again and tackling a new adventure: law.
I would love the opportunity to work with you, whether it be LSAT prep, Shakespeare, physics, or an essay on Nabokov. Experience--and the knowledge it brings--is invaluable, and it would be great to share some of my passion and knowledge with you.
Connect with a tutor like Zachary
Undergraduate Degree: Rochester Institute of Technology - Bachelors, Political Science and Government
Graduate Degree: George Washington University - Current Grad Student, Law
- LSAT: 168
Reading, travel, rugby, my bulldog, writing, new experiences
- College English
- English
- ESL/ELL
- Essay Editing
- Graduate Test Prep
- High School English
- Homework Support
- LSAT Analytical Reasoning
- LSAT Argumentative Writing
- LSAT Logical Reasoning
- Other
- SAT Prep
- Writing
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know a bit about them, and why they want to study the subject. I would also talk a bit about myself, my thoughts on their issues, how we might tackle those issues, and begin to work on whatever it is.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Instilling confidence is key; along with that, a deep understanding of the theory behind the work gives one the capability to handle diverse problems on their own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Keep them interested, make the subject relatable, and keep them from getting downtrodden.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Start from the beginning, and look if the underlying concept is known; if so, move forward and see where the problem arises.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Begin by reading something that interests them, and ask them why something was written like it was, where it was, etc. Then move on to more challenging questions, and eventually works.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Getting to know the student, and having the student be comfortable around me.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Make it relevant for them...try to find some aspect of the subject that interests them: there is history/literature/science applications for everyone.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Have them explain why an answer is what it is in a simple way; if you can explain something clearly, you have a mastery of it.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Work with them intensely, and slowly allow them more autonomy, until they can do something correctly on their own.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Ask them; if they're not reticent, give them problems that function on different concepts, and see where the problems exist.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
First, come to understand them by asking and observing, and then try to change.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
It depends...paper, pens, calculator; if necessary, PowerPoint or videos.
What is your teaching philosophy?
Make things fun, or at the very least seemingly significant, and then work at it.