Math, Physics, and Chemistry Tutoring Background

Tonight I want to talk about study techniques and ideas, things I’ve observed from years of tutoring, etc. First, me preface this by saying I don’t have children, but over the past several years I have tutored countless children, students of all ages. Honestly, the youngest that I have tutored is probably about 11 or 12 and the oldest was into his 40’s. I have tutored a wide and diverse range of subjects from sixth grade math to the calculus-based physics for science and engineering students. The latter class is definitely consider the hardest topic I tutor.

Subjects Tutored

I’ve tutored AP Chemistry, college chemistry, introductory chemistry, a couple different programming languages, AP Calculus, pre-calculus, algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry, Linear Algebra, astronomy, differential equations, conceptual physics, high school physics, AP Physics, AP Statistics, and multivariable, or vector, calculus. There seems to be a common thread that runs through all of this, which constantly amazes me, frankly, kind of amuses me at the same time.

Most parents enlist the assistance of a private tutor as a last resort to help their child out. Maybe it is after the first test comes back with less-than-stellar-grades, or maybe it is closer to finals. The teacher may not be as available as the student needs or is unable to explain the material in a way that the student understands. As much as a student might want, the teacher cannot sit next to the student all night long while doing homework, to answer questions when needed. One thing that I consistently see in my tutoring is that the books look brand new. The books look like they have never been opened. They have no highlighting in them, they have no pencil markings in them, they just have that look of being fresh off the shelf, fresh from the bookstore and having never been used before. And this is something that really bothers me. Remember I tutor physics, math, and chemistry, predominantly. These are, by and large, subjects that have a lot of math. Consequently, the books tend to have a fair number of example problems in them. And I tell students that example problems are “free tutoring”. Many of the students that I tutor when I tell them this look at me like I have just shared with them some great epiphany. I’m very surprised by this.

I don’t understand why students, first, do not read the book and second, do not do the example problems provided within the book. In fact, my experience has been that many of the homework problems use material or techniques that were demonstrated within the example problems. So, if you are a parent and you are struggling with your child’s grades, or you’re a college student struggling with your own grades, the first thing that I say to you is, “Have you read the book? Have you actually sat down and read the book?” Let’s talk about that a little bit more, as I think one of the things that has to be addressed is the issue of time management. We all have busy lives, that goes without saying. College students are juggling three or four classes, often a part-time job, extracurricular activities, clubs that they are officers in, and may be involved in a job search, and we all want a social life, and sleep is always nice. High school students seem to be, primarily, juggling a number of classes, as well as extracurricular activities, and many students are involved in sports; many high schools seem to now be requiring participation in a sport for graduation. So the issue of time management and time budgeting becomes critical.

I’ve tutored high school chemistry, college chemistry, introductory chemistry, a couple different programming languages, calculus, pre-calculus, algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry, Linear Algebra, astronomy, the list really continue. A lot of what I have tutored, and has been most of my tutoring, has been high school students, and most of that has been conceptual physics. A lot of it has also been algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry, AP physics, and introductory and AP chemistry. And there seems to be a common thread that runs through all of this, which constantly amazes me, frankly, kind of amuses me at the same time.

Textbook Condition

Many parents, I think, enlist the assistance of a private tutor kind of as a last resort to help their child out. The student obviously is not getting this material on his or her own, and he or she may have gone to the teacher and asked for assistance, the teacher either may not be as available as the student needs or is unable to explain the material in a way that the student understands; there can be a variety of reasons why a private tutor is finally enlisted to assist the student. One thing that I consistently see in my tutoring is that the books look brand new. The books look like they have never been opened. They have no highlighting in them, they have no pencil markings in them, they just have that look of being fresh off the shelf, fresh from the bookstore and having never been used before. And this is something that really bothers me. Remember I tutor physics, math, and chemistry, predominantly. These are, by and large, subjects that have a lot of math. Consequently, the books tend to have a fair number of example problems in them. And I tell students that example problems are “free tutoring”. Many of the students that I tutor when I tell them this look at me like I have just shared with them some great epiphany. I’m very surprised by this. They already paid for the textbook! Why does it look brand new whenever I ask the student about it!!????

I don’t understand why students, first, do not read the book and second, do not do the example problems provided within the book. In fact, my experience has been that many of the homework problems use material or techniques that were demonstrated within the example problems. So, if you are a parent and you are struggling with your child’s grades, or you’re a college student struggling with your own grades, the first thing that I say to you is, “Have you read the book? Have you actually sat down and read the book?” Let’s talk about that a little bit more, as I think one of the things that has to be addressed is the issue of time management.

That concludes this blog on time management, study habits, tips and techniques to acquire the grade you want and the grade deserve have a good week.