Eric
Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: Emory University - Bachelors, English
SAT Math: 800
SAT Verbal: 720
Piano, Web Design, Cooking
College English
High School English
SAT Verbal
What is your teaching philosophy?
I am dedicated to helping my students achieve their academic goals efficiently, by providing a personally tailored program for each individual based on his or her skill level and aspirations, and by using the tutoring approach that works best for him or her. I will guide you on your journey to academic excellence. I understand that learning requires more than teaching. As such, I abide by an educational philosophy known as the Empathic Model. This means I believe teaching is more than the transmission of knowledge; it's a social process of relationship building and emotional support. Beyond memorizing formulas and rules, I teach students to take initiative over their own educational future, to become their own biggest cheerleaders, and to recognize their true potential. I don't focus on lecturing on formulas and grammar rules, assigning hundreds of pages of boring text, or solving hundreds of mindless practice problems. Instead, I use an approach called Targeted Learning. Here's how it works: First, I meet with the student to understand their goals. Whether it is getting a perfect SAT score to get into that dream school, acing the final exam, or learning French so that you can make the most of your dream European vacation, I want to understand your aspirations and goals so that I can begin designing a personalized program to take you from where you are to where you want to go. The next step in my approach is identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your personal goals, I may ask you to take a diagnostic practice test, provide your official score reports and grades, or tell me about the concepts you have the most trouble understanding. I will then provide you with a set of targeted resources to help you get started. I know that there are way too many resources out there, with thousands of websites and books available with no guarantee of their efficacy and of how they will fit your approach and your learning style. Next, I help you practice the types of problems that will help you achieve the best results. Not only will I show you the best methods to solving these problems, but I will also present strategies that will help you save time, increase accuracy, and achieve your goals! If you are missing a core concept or I feel that you could benefit from a complementary strategy such as speed reading, time management, anxiety reduction, or memorization, I will dedicate entire classes to help you gain these skills. As I progress, I continue to refine and tailor my strategies to fit your evolving set of skills. Throughout the process, I customize my strategies to best fit your schedules and availabilities, and will help you schedule your time with us as well as your time away from us so that you can benefit from my instruction outside of my tutoring sessions. I understand that you have other obligations and responsibilities and will find a way to help you learn stress-free at your own pace. Finally, I help you get ready for game day! For example, I will help you to prepare for actual tests by having you take several real practice exams in specific conditions to build your confidence and make you feel comfortable with the exam. Throughout the process, I will monitor your progress and track it to help you understand how far you have come and how close you are to your goal.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First, I meet with the student to understand their goals. Whether it is getting a perfect SAT score to get into that dream school, acing the final exam, or learning French so that you can make the most of your dream European vacation, I want to understand your aspirations and goals so that I can begin designing a personalized program to take you from where you are to where you want to go. The next step in my approach is identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your personal goals, I may ask you to take a diagnostic practice test, provide your official score reports and grades, or tell me about the concepts you have the most trouble understanding. I will then provide you with a set of targeted resources to help you get started. I know that there are way too many resources out there, with thousands of websites and books available with no guarantee of their efficacy and of how they will fit your approach and your learning style.