Brian
Certified Tutor
I believe that everyone can learn and it should be a rewarding and enjoyable pursuit. Learning is a matter of translating interests into motivation, and through this understanding. I grew up as an Army brat, which afforded me the opportunity to live in many places growing up, including Germany, Texas, Colorado, New York, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I attended Carleton College, in Northfield, MN, where I graduated with a dual BA in Economics and Political Science. Carleton offered a strong program in liberal arts and I was exposed to subjects in all major academic fields. I further increased my knowledge by taking science courses at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. I also studied economics at Cambridge University. Before moving to Arizona, I worked as a consult with Global Collect in San Francisco, where I gained experience in global economics and international payments, and have worked in multiple financial tech startups.
I recently received my MA from the University of Arizona in Government and Public Policy. During my studies at Arizona, I presented lectures at several international conferences in political science and international relations. While attending graduate school at the University of Arizona, I worked as a teacher's assistant and was responsible for providing individual feedback to over 100 students. I found it rewarding to work with my students so they could achieve their maximum potential. Presently, I am working on some coding projects, primarily in the Ruby-on-Rails environment, a language that I am currently brushing up on.
I believe in a collaborative approach to learning, working with students to inspire in them a genuine thirst for knowledge. While I particularly enjoy tutoring in government and public policy, I also enjoy subjects as diverse as chemistry, biology, mathematics, economics, literature, and geology.
In my off time, I enjoy downhill skiing, cooking, hiking, reading, and games. I especially enjoy games that stimulate your knowledge and test your strategic skills, such as Settlers of Cataan and strategy games in general both in the videogame and board game variety. And, of course, having lived in Wisconsin near Green Bay, about thirty minutes from Lambeau, I am, of course, a Packers fan.
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Undergraduate Degree: Carleton College - Bachelor in Arts, Economics, Political Science
Graduate Degree: University of Arizona - Master of Arts, Government and Public Policy
- ACT Composite: 31
- ACT Math: 32
- ACT Reading: 35
- SAT Math: 700
- SAT Verbal: 750
- GRE: 334
- GRE Quantitative: 170
- GRE Verbal: 164
Music, coding, games, hiking, cooking, reading
- ACT Math
- ACT Writing
- Biology
- Business
- Chemistry
- College Biology
- College Business
- College Chemistry
- College Geography
- European History
- Geography
- Gifted
- Government
- GRE
- GRE Quantitative
- GRE Verbal
- High School Biology
- High School Business
- High School Chemistry
- High School Geography
- Math
- Microeconomics
- Other
- PSAT Prep
- Quantitative Reasoning
- SAT Prep
- SAT Math
- SAT Mathematics
- SAT Reading
- Science
- Statistics
- Statistics Graduate Level
- Summer
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that teaching should be fun for both the student and the teacher. Both should be fully engaged in the material and desire to develop a deeper understanding of the subject material.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First, I would like to get to know the student, what they desire to learn, and what areas they might have potential issues in.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Foremost, you can instill a thirst for knowledge and help them find subjects that they are interested in learning more about.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I would help a student stay motivated by making the subject studied more relatable to their lives and experiences.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would "rephrase" the concept into one that is more relatable to them, and thus more engaging and interesting.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I help students who are struggling with reading comprehension by first engaging them in practicing on subject matter that they are familiar with. Additionally, I would continue with more relatable material than what is typically presented.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I have found that getting to know a student, their strengths, and their abilities before launching into tutoring is particularly useful, as it aids in making lessons and subjects more relatable, working to that student's strengths.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would try to "rephrase" the subject into a form that students are more familiar with, and thus more relatable to their experiences.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I believe the best technique for testing knowledge of material is to have a student attempt to teach the material to me.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I build a student's confidence in a subject by starting with simpler topics in the subject before moving to more complicated ones, allowing them to gain experience and understanding. I would also attempt to reframe the subject such that its framing is more identifiable to the student.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I evaluate a student's needs by first having them explain what they desire from the course, followed by having them solve some example problems.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
I change my tutoring style based on how a student learns and what their interests are, thus better engaging them in the learning of the subject.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I make use of a variety of materials depending on the subject, ranging from the computer to pen and paper and practice problems.