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Dr. Tom D: GED ACT SAT GRE GMAT math writing psychology biology
Tom D.

473 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $45
Response time: 12 hours
Tom D.'s Photo

Dr. Tom D: GED ACT SAT GRE GMAT math writing psychology biology
Dr. Tom D: GED ACT SAT GRE GMAT math writing psychology biology
Tom D.

473 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

473 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

About Tom


Bio

Hi!

I started my career teaching algebra in high school, and retired from teaching human development and psychology in college in January, 2013. Although I spent my career in a wide variety of roles, I enjoy tutoring, and counseling the most. Since retiring I've tutored GED students, mentored former prison inmates, and volunteered at hospice.

I hold a B.S. in Ed., M.A., M.B.A., Ed.S., and Ph.D. I have been a teacher, counselor, principal, superintendent, college dean, entrepreneur,...

Hi!

I started my career teaching algebra in high school, and retired from teaching human development and psychology in college in January, 2013. Although I spent my career in a wide variety of roles, I enjoy tutoring, and counseling the most. Since retiring I've tutored GED students, mentored former prison inmates, and volunteered at hospice.

I hold a B.S. in Ed., M.A., M.B.A., Ed.S., and Ph.D. I have been a teacher, counselor, principal, superintendent, college dean, entrepreneur, president and CEO of an educational technology business, and consultant to teachers, colleges and businesses throughout the world.

I most enjoy helping students achieve their personal and academic goals. I help them learn how to learn and play the academic game. Learning should be fun. Teaching is too. I find that tutoring students with learning problems is particularly rewarding, and I’ve had a lot of experience helping learning disabled students overcome and compensate for their “disability”. I don’t ordinarily tutor children below high school age.

The academic dean at Muskegon Community College where I taught from 2002 to 2012 called me his "utility teacher". When he couldn't find a teacher for a particular class he would ask me to teach it. I didn't especially like teaching technical courses, but I thoroughly enjoyed teaching human development, various psychology and education courses, business, math, writing, and humanities.

For me, helping students earn their GED is very rewarding. Most GED students don’t have a lot of money, but they have more to gain from passing the tests than other students. For these reasons I will negotiate a rate lower than my usual $45 with any GED student in financial hardship. The broad grin they flash when they pass is worth more than money to me.

I'd love to learn about what and how YOU would like to learn and what your goals are. Please send me an eMail. If you have made payment arrangements with WyzAnt, I’ll send you links to evaluations by my former students and my cell phone number so we


Education

University of Dayton
Education
University of Michigan
Masters
Michigan State University
PhD

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $45
  • Rate details: GED tutoring rate may be negotiated downward for students with financial hardship on a case-by-case basis.
  • Lesson cancellation: 6 hours notice required
  • Background check passed on 12/8/2013

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

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Approved Subjects

Business

Business,

Business

I hold a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. I founded and ran Active Learning Systems, Inc. for 25 years. I taught accounting, business communications, intercultural management and communication technology at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business. I also served as Dean of Business Education at St. Paul Technical College, and was Superintendent at the Taipei American School in Taiwan.
GMAT, GRE

Computer

Macintosh

Macintosh

I spent much of my life teaching and tutoring people how to use technology, and have been a Mac user since 1982. Currently I have and use a MacBook Pro, iPhone 5 and iPad. I am familiar with and use all Mac software including all versions of the Mac Operating System. I was President of Microworx, a computer use training company during 1983 and 1984, and was founder, CEO and president of Active Learning Systems, Inc. from 1984 to 2005. I wrote most of the curriculum for Microworx and ALS during the early years. Both companies originally specialized in teaching computer skills and Internet use but developed computer-aided courses in all subjects. My favorite activities are tutoring one-on-one and writing curriculum. When I tutor, I let the student decide what to learn, and work in a hands-on practical way. I also explain why the computer works the way it does so the learner can trouble-shoot problems and figure out why the computer isn't working they way they want it to.

Corporate Training

Business,

Business

I hold a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. I founded and ran Active Learning Systems, Inc. for 25 years. I taught accounting, business communications, intercultural management and communication technology at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business. I also served as Dean of Business Education at St. Paul Technical College, and was Superintendent at the Taipei American School in Taiwan.
GMAT, Grammar

Elementary Education

Study Skills,

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im
Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary

English

ACT English, ACT Reading, English, Grammar, Reading, SAT Reading, Vocabulary, Writing

History

Sociology,

Sociology

I earned a PhD from Michigan State University in counseling with a cognate in sociology. I studied sociology as an undergraduate at Duquesne University. I studied social psychology at the University of Michigan. For the past ten years I've taught human development and educational psychology at Muskegon Community College. Both classes contained a significant amount of sociology.
American History, Philosophy, World History

Homeschool

Study Skills,

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im
Algebra 1, Biology, English, Geometry, Prealgebra, Reading, SAT Reading, Writing

Math

ACT Math,

ACT Math

I'm a former high school algebra teacher and counselor with a PhD in counseling. I spent many years helping students get into the college of their choice. For the past 20 years or so I've tutored ACT prep, particularly in Math and English -- especially math.
Algebra 1, Geometry, Prealgebra

Most Popular

Study Skills,

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im
Algebra 1, Biology, English, Geometry, Prealgebra, Reading, Writing

Other

Sociology,

Sociology

I earned a PhD from Michigan State University in counseling with a cognate in sociology. I studied sociology as an undergraduate at Duquesne University. I studied social psychology at the University of Michigan. For the past ten years I've taught human development and educational psychology at Muskegon Community College. Both classes contained a significant amount of sociology.
Study Skills,

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im
Philosophy

Science

Sociology,

Sociology

I earned a PhD from Michigan State University in counseling with a cognate in sociology. I studied sociology as an undergraduate at Duquesne University. I studied social psychology at the University of Michigan. For the past ten years I've taught human development and educational psychology at Muskegon Community College. Both classes contained a significant amount of sociology.
Zoology,

Zoology

I studied Zoology and genetics at the University of Dayton as an undergraduate, and comparative psychology at the University of Michigan. I hold permanent K-12 teacher certification in Michigan in the field of biology. I taught high school biology at North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and General Science at Moeller High School in Cincinnati. I remain especially interested in epigenetics, animal psychology, evolution and ecology and I'm very knowledgeable about recent research in these fields.
ACT Science, Anatomy, Biology, Ecology, Philosophy, Physical Science, Psychology

Special Needs

Study Skills

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im

Summer

GED,

GED

Since I retired in January 2013, I have tutored dozens of students who have successfully earned their GED and many more who have successfully passed the ACT and SAT. The new GED is very difficult, and when possible I recommend that students find other ways to achieve their goals. However, if they want to earn a GED, I am willing and very able to help them pass the tests. I am particularly adept at helping them with math.
Study Skills,

Study Skills

Although I am a certified teacher K-12 in Michigan, I don't usually work with children anymore. My doctorate is in counseling and I work with high school students, college students, and adults. As Director of Student Services at Waverly Schools I served as principle of an elementary school for students who had reading difficulties. As dean at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I established a study skills center. At Muskegon Community College I helped establish an online tutoring and study skills program in conjunction with the Michigan Virtual Learning Collaborative. When I work with students on study skills, I generally do a diagnosis first – either with a formal assessment or more frequently a simple conversation. We talk about learning styles, and the student’s educational experience. I look for the source of learning difficulty. Is it organization, focus, reading comprehension, math phobia, or some other difficulty? We try and find the root of the problem and work at eliminating it. For example, a student may have interpersonal difficulties with the teacher; a residual dislike for a subject, because of previous classroom experiences; poor study or test-taking skills; a learning disability; insufficient motivation; or lack of self-discipline or self-confidence. Learning the academic content usually isn't so difficult once the underlying problems are solved. There are techniques and tools that a student can learn relatively quickly. For example, in reading I teach the SQ3R method that helps students who have reading comprehension problems. Once a student understands his/her dominant leaning style he or she can cater to his/her dominant learning mode. For example, an auditory learner can retain what they read much better if the read aloud. A concrete learner is better off if they actually create a physical model of what they are trying to understand. Knowing your learning style enables you to learn efficiently. There are many websites that can help a student diagnose their difficulty and im
Algebra 1, Biology, Geometry, Reading, Writing

Test Preparation

ACT Math,

ACT Math

I'm a former high school algebra teacher and counselor with a PhD in counseling. I spent many years helping students get into the college of their choice. For the past 20 years or so I've tutored ACT prep, particularly in Math and English -- especially math.
GED,

GED

Since I retired in January 2013, I have tutored dozens of students who have successfully earned their GED and many more who have successfully passed the ACT and SAT. The new GED is very difficult, and when possible I recommend that students find other ways to achieve their goals. However, if they want to earn a GED, I am willing and very able to help them pass the tests. I am particularly adept at helping them with math.
ACT English, ACT Reading, ACT Science, GMAT, GRE, SAT Reading

Examples of Expertise


Tom has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 17 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

5.0 (147 ratings)
5 star
(142)
4 star
(5)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

You won't find a better tutor.

Tom can explain anything so it’s clear and easy to understand – even the most difficult math problems. He’s smart and knows a lot about everything. He was always willing to help me in any way he could. It is actually fun learning from him. His encouragement helped a lot when I was about to give up. He was always willing to accommodate my busy schedule. He gave me a lot of advice about how to take the test without getting nervous and how to answer the questions when I didn't know the answer. He also told gave me a lot of advice about going to college. He’s a wonderful tutor. I’m glad I chose him.

Amy, 7 lessons with Tom

Knowledgeable and Patient

Tom is wonderful. His experience and patience has helped my son tremendously. He is an amazing tutor and we are grateful we were able to have him help Robbie. He has helped Robbie’s confidence grow and has given him wonderful techniques to relax prior to taking the test. These techniques will help in future tests and in general.

Krista, 14 lessons with Tom

awesome, patient

He is the best teacher ever, patient,and very smart,kind like I said he is magnificent. I'm done with talking on this page.i would not trade him for the world 🌎

Susan, 7 lessons with Tom
Tutor responded:

Thanks, Susan. My granddaughter told her mom that "Alexa's the smartest person she ever knew, except for grandpa. He knows everything! 😃

Highly recommend

Tom has met with my daughter who is a college freshman with a learning disability a few times for psychology and biology. She enjoys working with him and he seems patient, competent, kind and funny!

Jenny , 24 lessons with Tom

Encouraging, inspirational and motivational Tutor.

Knowledgeable, patient and encouraging... My girl felt very empowered after her session with Tom. Tom inspired confidence making the session very positive.

Shyla, 7 lessons with Tom

Great ACT math brush up!!

Great job determining which areas to focus on to increase Math score as well as giving overall testing strategy advice to boost confidence. Goes above and beyond :) Highly recommend!

Peggy, 2 lessons with Tom

Helpful Geometry Tutoring

Don was very helpful and patient. He took his time to make sure that I understood and the work that it was challenging he finished it on his own time and explained to me over the phone. He shows that he cares about his costumer and he wants to make sure that the subject is understood.

Lidsa, 1 lesson with Tom

Tom is fantastic!!

He is patient and kind and really makes sure you know how to do the problems and makes sure you know what you're doing every step of the way. He gave me confidence in tackling GRE all math problems.

Katie, 3 lessons with Tom

Patient and truly caring Tutor.

Thank you so much Tom, for all your help in getting Sam through his GED, you gave him the confidence to believe in himself and that he could achieve this. We couldn't be happier that Sam can now move on with his life and go to college, we thank you for your kindness and patience, and wish you a Happy 2016.

Sam, 9 lessons with Tom

Well-prepared, professional tutor

Tom has been working with my stepdaughter for a few weeks now. She has enjoyed the sessions and feels they are of value, helping her with her homework, preparing her for quizzes and tests, and getting her caught up on some basic math, reading, and vocabulary skills that got lost along the way and has put her behind academically. Tom always shows up well-prepared with materials of his own to supplement any classroom texts and notes. He writes thoughtful summaries of each lesson and provides additional resources after the fact. We look forward to continuing our sessions and advancing my stepdaughter's knowledge and education and preparing her for her future, whatever that may be.

Haley, 18 lessons with Tom
Hourly Rate: $45
Response time: 12 hours
Contact Tom