John
Harvard mentor for math, stats, writing
I am a writer, programmer, and experienced mentor who loves teaching. Harvard College AB in Physics and Philosophy, United States Presidential Scholar, Eagle Scout, 2400 SAT. Building data products has given me conversance in project management for various industries. I now write literary and design fiction. My students are motivated adults, pursuing graduate / continuing education or developing specific professionals skills on a personalized curriculum plan. For over a decade, I have enjoye...
classics
political science
Python
linear algebra
computer science
social studies
I am well-grounded in history, economics, and political philosophy as well as more empirical fields such as social anthropology. I also have civics training specifically from my work with the Boy Scouts. Social studies are critical to helping students develop a strong sense of self-identity and political commitment. Traditionally, social studies also teaches language skills—analysis of historical documents and narratives, essay-writing, speech-making. I tutor all of these fields and skills in an integrated way to improve the student's facility and confidence. I majored in philosophy at Harvard and previously scored 5s on AP US History, AP Microeconomics, and AP US Government and Politics, and 800 on SAT Subject US History.
logic
elementary science
Art Theory
study skills
Study skills are foundational to success in every academic discipline. I teach students to develop their capacity for constructive self-criticism, their discipline, and their enthusiasm for intellectual challenge--and of course provide specific tactics to suit individual learning styles. I consider my tutorials in any field to be discrete episodes of an ongoing mentorship in study skills.
theatre
I have acted in productions ranging from classical Shakespeare to modern Tom Stoppard and am especially familiar with the Anglo-American canon. I teach theatre as a dramatic literature--drawing on fundamental techniques from literary analysis as well as performance rhetoric and an architectural sense of the stage. I have also coached students for theatrical oratory.
differential equations
C
computer programming
grammar
European history
French
geometry
physics
prealgebra
precalculus
Latin
reading
music theory
I studied music theory formally in youth, and since then through practical polyphony, homophony, and holophony in chorus. I teach fundamentals of melody and chords, beginning composition, mathematical acoustics, and harmony up to basic counterpoint. Improve your appreciation of musical structure or confidence in composing and playing.
trigonometry
Trigonometry is generally foisted upon high schools students as an applied field devoted to the manipulation of identity equations, with occasional reference to the unit circle. Rarely does this experience inspire students to learn about its beautiful relationships with wave mechanics, infinite series, and complex analysis. I teach beginning students valuable methods for navigating and confidently applying trigonometric relationships, and give all students foundations for more rigorous study.
writing
statistics
geography
English
government & politics
psychology
SAT math
I have considerable experience tutoring all levels of high school math. My approach is to teach students mathematical techniques, their underlying motivations, and attacks for their SAT question forms. I scored perfect 800 on both SAT Math and SAT Subject Math II.
literature
world history
SQL
I taught SQL as part of a computer science course at Harvard, and have used it myself professionally. My teaching approach is to focus on specific practical problems to improve familiarity with the language, and then to introduce principles underlying more complex operations. I can also teach non-relational and especially graph databases.
economics
proofreading
SAT reading
SAT Reading is structured around essays and selections of varying length. I train students to understand each hierarchical level of a written piece's architecture, from the shape of its argument to the mechanics of metaphor, evidence, or irony. Then we investigate how phrasal nuances can help us classify and correctly answer questions. I scored perfect 800 on SAT Reading.
SAT writing
The SAT Writing exam tests basic usage mechanics and speed and facility in composition. I teach these usage and compositional skills to improve test performance and to enhance the student's writing confidence. I scored perfect 36 on SAT Writing.
physical science
art history
probability
PSAT
As a National Merit Scholar, I glad to review PSAT/NMSQT material distinct from or in conjunction with its successor SAT. Many of the underlying skills and study habits are similar, so early preparation will not go unrewarded. After evaluating the student's current capabilities, we will focus on topics that require specific attention.
spelling
ACT Reading
ACT Reading is structured around essays and selections with accompanying questions. I train students to understand each hierarchical level of a written piece's architecture, from the shape of its argument to the mechanics of metaphor, evidence, or irony. Then we investigate how phrasal nuances can help us classify and understand questions. I scored perfect 36 on ACT Reading.
ACT English
The ACT English exam tests basic usage mechanics and rhetoric. I teach these grammar and rhetoric skills to maximize test comprehension and to enhance the student's writing confidence. I scored perfect 36 on ACT English.
ACT Math
I have considerable experience tutoring all levels of high school math. My approach is to teach students mathematical techniques, their underlying motivations, and attacks for their ACT question forms. I scored perfect 36 on ACT Math.
ACT Science
The ACT Science Reasoning test commands a strange blend of critical reasoning, mathy problem-solving, background science knowledge, and test-taking tactics. My approach is to isolate question types and teach the inferential skills and science knowledge required to address each form. I scored perfect 36 on ACT Science.
elementary math
chemistry
Two of the major challenges in learning chemistry are understanding how the periodic table is constructed from properties of the elements, and learning how to reason about chemical equations and reactions. My approach in tutoring chemistry is to teach students specific tools and methods for carefully reasoning from all available information. I scored 5 on AP Chemistry.
calculus
vocabulary
I have long been passionate about words and word use, from reading in English and its related languages. I am glad to train students in new lexicons and mnemonic methods, and to introduce them to the excitement of language games and the lexicographical Dictionary Wars. I was a finalist in the 2008 National Vocabulary Competition. Since then I have continued to study languages contributing to English, including French, German, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.
biology
From natural history to synthetic biology: there are few fields that are so rapidly changing today, and few so difficult for classroom instructors to teach coherently. My approach follows research techniques by first classifying biological systems in comparison to exemplary models, and then individuating each system of interest. During high school, I worked in a biophysics laboratory at the University of Chicago. I scored 5 on AP Biology and 780 on SAT Subject Molecular Biology.
algebra 1
algebra 2
American history
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
finance
Greek
Margaret H. from New York, NY
I had a great experience with John. He actually explained every line to me in Python, and seemed to know what he was doing. He is amazingly patient as well, and a cat lover, which is a bonus. He is also from Harvard, which is a plus.
Thomas L. from New York, NY
John is simply fantastic. A humble, patient and knowledgeable tutor with the ability to distill complex concepts into basic principles to help build a foundation to further grow off of. John was involved in coaching and explaining the problem sets associated with Python/R, descriptive statistics and neural networks/decision trees. This approach was highly valued as it allowed for a better understanding of the core principles underpinning the broader task at hand. John comes highly recommended for those sincerely interested in truly mastering a particular topic.
Tim R. from New York, NY
John did a fabulous job for us in helping our (homeschooled) high school student prepare for his AP exam. It was our student's first time preparing for an AP exam, so he wanted some support. What was great about John was not just that he knows the stuff cold, can relate to the student, etc. What separates him is that he is thoughtful and HONEST about how the tutoring should actually work. So many tutors are just happy to schedule as many hours as possible (with as little out of class work for themselves as possible). But John came up with a plan that actually *limited* his own time in class and required him to do some out of class work -- all so that our student could do as much independent work on his own as possible. In this case, the "right" solution meant more work and less revenue for John as a tutor -- but he still did it! Bravo. And the approach is working great. I can't more highly recommend John if you want to be sure you learn what you want to learn in the very best way possible.