Berg Tutoring

Introduction: As a tutor, my goal and unique value is to provide each student with a foundation upon which they will be able to comprehend and solve problems independently. Accordingly, in addition to directly helping a student understand current classroom and textbook curriculum, I further acquaint them with a portfolio of problem solving methodologies, study techniques, supplemental learning examples, tips, tools, and guidance structured to align with the way they learn while maintaining equilibrium with learning ability. Also, understanding that each student has different learning needs, my approach is to identify those needs by observing and directly interacting with the student first hand. By doing so, I can tailor a tutoring solution to deliver the best possible learning opportunity. While a student in college and thereafter as a working engineer, I developed a portfolio of methods, techniques, and tools particularly effective for learning and applying mathematics. Those practices, which were very effective for me, also proved to be transferrable and effective for others as well: My seventh grade daughter, upon transitioning from public to private school was a semester behind in Algebra compared with her classmates, and was given three weeks to catch up. As a concerned, caring, and educated parent I became her tutor. The methods which I utilized not only brought her up to speed within the time allotted, but astonished her teacher due to the proficiency she attained in such a short period of time. Thereafter, she became the go-to person by her teacher for answer confirmation and assistance conveying difficult concepts to her classmates. My daughter continued to excel in math throughout high school earning A's in honor level classes, she received a highly complimentary letter of recommendation from the high school Math and Science Chairman, and while in college earned the highest grades in her Calculus III and Differential Equations classes (typically the most difficult math courses in undergraduate curriculums). Through this experience, I discovered that I had a talent for tutoring and enjoyed doing it. My mother was a teacher for over forty years, so possibly there is a genetic connection or perhaps by growing up with a "teacher" parent I became naturally indoctrinated. Looking back on the experiences of tutoring my daughter, mentoring engineers in industry, and seeing the positive impact my guidance had on their ability to be independent thinkers, I enjoy a sense of reward exceeding any other "job" achievement I can recall.