William J

I started tutoring in 2017, and I have helped students succeed in a wide range of academic settings. I received my bachelor's degree in pure mathematics in 2021, and I am currently applying for master's programs in mathematics.

Ages I've worked with:

I have taught middle and high school students, college students, and grad students. My youngest client started studying with me when he was 11, and my oldest client started studying with me when he was 56.

My tutoring style:

I think that 'studying' math and 'practicing' math are two different things, and I think that most students neglect one of the two. I supplement studying by helping students fix misunderstandings and fill foundational gaps. I supplement practice by asking my students to solve problems that turn their studies into mathematical insights.

Success story:

I started working with a 10th grade student. Due to his math grades, the student was in danger of failing out of a private high school---understandably, his parents were worried. This student's other grades were fine, so I tried to determine why math was uniquely difficult for him. I realized that he thought his other classes were "obvious.” He didn't really have to try to learn new skills; he essentially only needed to do the work that was assigned to him. Moreover, he claimed he "hated" math.

I asked the student, "let's say your teacher did a backflip every day during lecture. How many lectures would it take before you could do a backflip?" The student laughed at me and told me that no number of lectures would be enough. I told him that learning to solve a math problem is just like that---you can't just watch someone else. You have to try, you have to make mistakes, you have to learn from your mistakes, and sometimes you have to ask for help. We started to work through problems together, and when one was too difficult, I showed him how to teach himself what he didn't know.

He has since graduated from that high school and is now studying at a university. I was hoping that maybe he gained an appreciation for math, but the last time I spoke to him he said, "I still hate it, but at least I know how to get A's in my math classes".