David

I am a tutor with broad experience improving students' test scores in a short amount of time and dealing with the infinite possibilities that go into teaching. I have a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from State University of New York, Purchase, and I tutor grades 3-College.

My tutoring style:

I am a high-energy teacher whose empathetic teaching style can help fit the needs of all students no matter how unconventional the student might be. If the student needs a creative approach to explaining a  math topic or a more traditionally structured approach to writing, I am always going to work to ensure that every student gets their "Ah ha" moment. My main approach consists of finding a student's ultimate academic goal and working backward to create a realistic step-by-step plan to ensure that academic dreams become a student's reality.

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Success story:

John, Start Score: 1100, End Score: 1450

John was an 11th grader who for all intents and purposes was an average student. He generally struggled with the math sections of the SAT more than the English sections, and his improvement happened much more slowly than most. All in all, he ended up taking 8 practice SATs before crossing into the 1200 range, but after that, he very quickly ended up in the 1400’s. He was more resilient than most students, and part of his eventual success involved creating a more unique strategy than I had used with other students. Unlike most students who tend to enjoy a teacher/tutor who is supportive and nurturing, due to his experience as a top athlete on his school’s soccer team, he actually ended up letting me know that I treated him “too nicely” and I needed to call him out on his shortcomings more often. Not in a mean way necessarily, but by treating him the way he was used to coaches treating him, he gained the emotional incentive to spend more time studying his math skills. In terms of the actual test content, I taught him strategies for the math section, followed by deep diving into each individual topic and question type that occurred on the SAT. He needed a much more immersive and holistic review of the math material than most students, but by being methodical and leaving no stone unturned, he learned how to pace himself well, break down questions to their most basic elements, and ultimately get a great score.

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Daniel, Start Score: 1100, End Score: 1500

Daniel was an interesting case because I started teaching him after I had tutored his brother in SAT prep (who started in the 1200’s and ended in the 1500’s). Despite both brothers being twins, they definitely had their different strengths and weaknesses. Daniel had more trouble in the reading and writing and language sections, so most of our time was spent working sharpening those skills. Daniel thrived from a kinder, more supportive attitude. We spent time breaking down the five types of reading passages, reviewed all of his punctuation and grammar rules, and worked on his pacing in general by spending time each session doing timed reading passages. Daniel showed gradual, consistent improvement. Overall, our sessions revolved more around getting him comfortable with the timing and pacing of the test versus reteaching him material from school.

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Hobbies and interests:

Guitar, Music Production, Social Media Marketing, working out, church, and TV/movies.

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