Verified Tutor

Jackson

Current Undergrad, Policy Studies and Asian Studies

9+ years of tutoring

Rice University

Currently a sophomore (class of 2018) at Rice University in Houston, TX, I graduated from the Episcopal High School (Alexandria, VA) in 2014. At Rice, I am working towards a Policy Studies and Asian Studies double major, focusing in both "Law and Justice" and "Chinese Language and Culture". After graduation, I hope to either continue my education in Mandarin through a Masters program, attend Law School, or, ideally, both! During High School, I was a four-year boarding student, played football and lacrosse, and received academic recognition for my Chinese language skills and writing ability. During my fourth year I was designated a "Senior Peer Tutor", and worked three shifts a week tutoring underclassmen, mostly in math and science. As my career interests have changed, so have my tutoring interests. Now, because of my strong interests in Asian Studies and Policy Studies, I spend a great deal of time either reading and writing journals, essays, and research papers for assorted social sciences courses, or studying Mandarin in Chinese language and arts classes. My tutoring experience in high school, combined with my current course load, allow me to be an effective tutor of Mandarin and Writing Skills. My tutoring "philosophy" or "style" is very informal. From my experience with Mandarin, I have learned that hard work pays off, and experienced firsthand the spectacular feeling of success as a result of "sweat equity", but at the same time, I understand that "hard work" and "stress" don't have to be synonymous. Over the summer, I spent six weeks studying abroad at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China, and was assigned a grad student tutor. My relationship with my tutor, who I met with for five hours weekly, was a hybrid friendship/pedagogy that allowed for a stress-free, laid-back learning environment that was incredibly effective in terms of my Chinese progress. Often students turn to independent tutors because they feel confused, lost, or "in-over-their-head" with the information presented in class. As a tutor, my goal is not to add to that stress, but instead to relieve it by providing my students tools that will help them succeed and gain an advantage over their classmates. Outside of academia, I am an avid lacrosse player (and captain of the Rice Club Lacrosse Team), and football fan (Go Owls!). I also enjoy traveling, trying new foods, and reading.

Q&A with Jackson

My tutoring "philosophy" or "style" is very informal. From my experience with Mandarin, I have learned that hard work pays off, and I've experienced firsthand the spectacular feeling of success as a result of "sweat equity." But at the same time, I understand that "hard work" and "stress" don't have to be synonymous. Over the summer, I spent six weeks studying abroad at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China, and I was assigned a grad student tutor. My relationship with my tutor, who I met with for five hours weekly, was a hybrid friendship/pedagogy that allowed for a stress-free, laid-back learning environment that was incredibly effective in terms of my Chinese progress. Often students turn to independent tutors because they feel confused, lost, or "in-over-their-head" with the information presented in class. As a tutor, my goal is not to add to that stress but instead to relieve it by providing my students tools that will help them succeed and gain an advantage over their classmates.