Jose

I am a certified teacher with more than 2 decades of experience in High School classrooms teaching math, and more than a decade teaching math to college students. I have a Bachelors from State University of New York at Albany, a Masters from Columbia University Teachers College, and a Doctorate from Walden University. I tutor grades 6 through post graduate students.

Tutoring Style

My tutoring style is structured yet flexible, always guided by the unique needs of each student. I begin sessions informally to build rapport and learn about the student’s interests, which I often use to make academic concepts more relatable. Once I’ve identified areas for growth, I scaffold instruction carefully, helping students build confidence and problem-solving skills step by step. I also prioritize addressing any immediate classroom concerns they bring, ensuring our time is both responsive and productive. Above all, my goal is to help students gain agency in their learning and feel empowered in their ability to tackle challenges independently.

Success Story

Math:

One of my most rewarding success stories involves a student who needed to pass a statistics course in order to graduate with his bachelor’s degree. When we began working together, he was failing and feeling overwhelmed, unsure why he was struggling after having done well in previous math classes. We started from the basics, building his confidence through structured, scaffolded lessons and gradually shifting the responsibility of problem-solving to him. After our final session, he texted me to share the exciting news that he earned a B+ on his final exam—enough to pass the class and graduate. His message was filled with joy and gratitude, and it was a powerful reminder of the impact patient, personalized tutoring can have.

Science:

One of my success stories in tutoring physics involved a 15-year-old student who initially struggled significantly in the classroom environment. His parents had been in communication with the school because he found it challenging to keep up with note-taking and managing assignments.

In our sessions, I focused on understanding his unique learning style. I noticed that he processed information best through internal self-talk and needed time to reflect. So, I scaffolded the material step-by-step, using differentiated instructional techniques. For example, I incorporated diagrams and short 30-second video clips with animations to help visualize physics concepts. After each concept, I encouraged him to explain the ideas in his own words, creating a lot of back-and-forth auditory reflection.

I'm happy to report that this approach helped him improve from a failing grade to a solid B, allowing him to successfully move on to the next level in his curriculum.

Hobbies & Interests

When I’m not tutoring, I’m an avid sports fan—I enjoy everything from baseball, football, and basketball to volleyball, golf, and even camel racing. I also love working with my hands, whether that means building things with my carpentry tools or tinkering with electronic circuits and engines. In quieter moments, I enjoy solving puzzles, reading about history, and spending quality time with my family and friends.