 Sometimes parents call me and say, "you tutored so and so can you tutor my child? When can we start?" These parents know, like, and trust their friends, coworkers, etc. so they feel confident about working with me. Other parents read all about me on my website and get a feel for me, my personality, and my tutoring style. Still others want to know more so that's what this blog post is about...
Where do you teach/Why don't you teach in the schools? Great question! When I did my student teaching at Ann Arbor Huron High School I found to my dismay that a lot of students weren't interested in learning(and they made it difficult for others to learn and extremely difficult for me as a classroom teacher). I made the decision that I only wanted to work with students who actually wanted to learn. They don't have to be great at math but as long as they have a willingness to improve and work at it I'm happy to help. So long story short, I passed all my certifications, received my degree in secondary education from the University of Michigan but at the present time I only work individually or with small groups of students as a private tutor. How did you get into tutoring? There is a retired Detroit public school teacher named Mrs. Sweet who gave me my first regular opportunity to work individually with students. She ran 4 tutoring centers in the area that no longer exist. I once asked her, "After 30 years as a teacher, what is your secret?" She told me, "When students do something correctly praise them to the stars!" I've always remembered this and she is one of the people I credit with helping me to be a good tutor. Are You Married? This is kind of a funny one because I'm not sure how to take this or where people are going with this one : ) I'm engaged to be married. No date set yet. Where Do You Live? I have lived in the Rochester/Rochester Hills area for many years. My fiancee and I recently bought a house in Rochester Hills. How Old Are You? This is a funny one too! Remember Doogie Howser, M.D.? It was a T.V. show about a child prodigy who became a doctor at a young age and on the show nobody could believe that here was this kid who was treating patients. Anyhow, people always wondered how old he was. If you remember the show then you'll have a clue of my age. How Many Students Do You Tutor? I don't share this information because a quick math calculation would tell you my income as well and.... well... that's kinda personal...right? But just so you don't think I'm practicing tutoring for the first time on your student....I actually work with quite a few students! I really enjoy it and wish I had even more time to offer to students and families. Now you know some of the common ones I frequently get asked. If you have others let me know...I can add them to this post. And now that you know a lot about me...you'll have to tell me something about you! Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net  Ok, I hope you are enjoying your summer but I know in what seems like the blink of an eye school will be starting once again.
So, right now as you are enjoying the wonderful relaxation of summer, set a goal for yourself this year with regard to your math performance. If you normally get C's make it your goal to get a solid B this year. If you usually get B's make it your goal to get up into the A/A- range, etc. Ok, now that you've set your goal, work backwards from there. What will it take to get that result? Daily studying? Extra help from your teacher or classmates? Studying and practicing for quizzes and tests(not just taking them)? Ok let's take another step backward from there. Make a list of all the things you have to do, want to do, and would like to do and block off the time that you will dedicate to all your activities. Is math in there? Figure out when you will do your math and study your math(two different things!) I used to use different strategies when I was in school. Sometimes I would do the subject I disliked the most...to get it out of the way and off my plate. Other times I would do the most important thing first to make sure if I ran out of time that at least that one was completed. And still other times I would get the little things done first to help me feel like I was checking things off and building up momentum before tackling the dreaded subject. Find out works for you and use/devise your own special hacks to maximize your results. Image courtesy of bplanet at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Mario DiBartolomeoHelping students succeed in math for over 15 years. Individualized attention makes the difference! CategoriesArchives
August 2024
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