Before this position, I worked as a graduate teaching assistant and then a visiting instructor at Michigan State University. I even taught high school mathematics for a year prior to that. When I am teaching or tutoring a student, I always try to abide by the motto: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This motto has helped me focus on being a good listener, which I believe has made me a very effective instructor/tutor. When a student says that he/she does not understand a concept, I will often ask him/her a couple follow-up questions in an effort to identify the root cause of his/her misconception. Then the student and I can go to work on clearing up this misconception. In general, my goal is to help students first understand WHY certain mathematical principles work, because then it will be easier for them to learn HOW to apply them appropriately.

I enjoy playing many sports, doing home improvement projects, and learning about photography in my free time.