1 of 7

Connect with hundreds of tutors like Mary Ann

Expert tutoring for students at all levels

150,000+ clients. 4.9 / 5.0 Rating of Tutoring Sessions

Who needs a tutor?
How soon do you need tutoring?
What is your name?
What is your zip code?
What is your email address?
What is your phone number?
Featured by
Tutors from
A photo of Mary Ann, a tutor from Arizona State University

Mary Ann

Certified Tutor

Call us today to connect with a top tutor
(888) 888-0446

To give a short 'about me,' I graduated from ASU in December of 2018 with my BS in General Biology, and I am currently taking a gap year until Fall of 2020 when I will begin my graduate studies. My main areas of focus are: animal behavior, entomology, forensic entomology, and decomposition ecology. My goal is to become a board-certified forensic entomologist after I obtain my PhD.

My philosophical emphasis in school, tutoring, academic counseling, and all things relative to learning is the spirit of inclusivity, accessibility, authenticity, and compatibility with sound mental and physical health.

Inclusivity. Learning should be inclusive to the full range of diversity among learners. This means taking the specific needs of every learner into consideration in order to achieve academic success, encompassing but not limited to: socioeconomic status, financial ability, racial and cultural identity, physical and mental diversity, gender identity, and sexual orientation. I believe that an education that does not take careful consideration of a learner's personal context and background is incomplete, and often unjust. In order to achieve success with my students, I must be willing to take rigorous action to understand my student's personal needs and identity, which are inextricably linked with their learning, and be sensitive to their perspective and experience.

Accessibility. Learning should never be blocked by obstacles of material wealth and access, but most often is in both the classroom and at home. I take my students' varied access to resources seriously, and whenever and wherever necessary, I will do what I can to provide materials that cannot be obtained by the student for any reason. I believe that education should never be limited by material wealth, and I will try as hard as I can to help my students bridge that gap when it arises.

Authenticity. Learning is a unique, personal journey where one size does not fit all. I believe our academic success is often limited by imagined universal standards that do not suit every type of learner. I guide my students to discover what kind of learning will help them most. There have been many times in my own education when what worked best for me was not the same thing as for my classmates and peers. This kind of customized adaptability is one of the skills that really allowed me to achieve success, and I aim to foster this kind of flexibility within my students. Authenticity also includes allowing ourselves to be who we really are inside the realms of learning. My greatest focus in this regard is emphasizing that it's okay not to know things and to ask questions, and how to have confidence in ourselves even when we feel doubtful. We have the right to be wrong, to make mistakes and be imperfect! In my experience, I have found that the greatest, most successful learners are those who have the humility to admit when they don't understand something, not those who claim to know it all.

Compatibility with sound mental, emotional, and physical health. Learning must be sensitive to our mental, emotional, and physical lives. I believe that we cannot truly learn at our maximum potential when we are limited by distress. My education personally has been characterized by overcoming stress, anxiety, fear, and depression; I believe these things are often unavoidable, as well as a valuable part of our learning experience. It was imperative for my well-being to learn how to prioritize self-care along with my grades, and found that when I really took care of my personal needs, my education soared. When I teach strategies of time management, I always include taking breaks, acts of self-care, and adequate sleep as necessary parts of our schedules. While I do not have personal experience with the limitations and needs of varied physical health, I will prioritize these conditions just as I would with the mental/emotional health of my students, and work hard to understand and support them. We will succeed once we figure out how to set ourselves up for success. I will always prioritize my student's mental, emotional, and physical health over school. This is non-negotiable.

My goal as a tutor is to offer you a holistic, strategic, and realistic approach to tutoring and academic success. I have worked with students in high school, community college, and university, as well as with varying cognitive abilities and impairments, including students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysphonia, and dysgraphia. I am especially excited about and interested in students who need significant improvement in their abilities as a learner, both in their education and attitudes. To be honest, before I attended university, I was not a good student! It took a lot of willingness, support, and self-discovery to become the successful student I was in university, and I was able to graduate magna cum laude with a 3.78 GPA after I found myself as a learner; most importantly, I found that I actually love school, science, and learning itself! Based on this experience, I have concrete evidence that a "bad" student can indeed become a successful and eager learner. If I can do it, so can you!

Please feel free to email me at maryann.chu@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns. Take care!

Connect with a tutor like Mary Ann

Mary Ann’s Qualifications

Education & Certification

Undergraduate Degree: Arizona State University - Bachelor of Science, Biology, General

Hobbies

Biology, entomology, forensic entomology, forensic science, animal behavior. Hobbies: aquarium keeping, video games, cooking

Tutoring Subjects

AP Studio Art: 2-D Design

Art

Biology

Cell Biology

College English

English

English Grammar and Syntax

Essay Editing

Evolutionary Biology

High School Biology

High School English

High School Writing

Life Sciences

Other

Science

Study Skills

Study Skills and Organization

Writing

Zoology

Connect with a tutor like Mary Ann