Tikiera earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Elizabeth City State University, followed by an MAT in Mathematics from RELAY Graduate School of Education. With seven years of experience teaching math, she has held various roles such as STEM Special Projects Lead, Lead Teacher, Grade Team Lead, and Special Education Teacher. Her motivation to start tutoring stemmed from a sincere commitment to helping students succeed.
For Tikiera, nothing compares to witnessing a student grasp and master content they once found challenging. This passion for student success and the significance of mathematics drives her ACT, SAT, and math tutoring. She firmly believes that everyone possesses mathematical abilities, as we utilize math in our daily lives without even realizing it.
As a tutor, Tikiera maintains high expectations but is fun, easygoing, passionate, consistent, and adaptable. She loves what she does, and it’s evident in her tutoring approach! Central to her philosophy is the success of the whole student; she doesn't just focus on teaching content but strives to support every aspect of the individual. Recognizing that a student's overall well-being directly impacts their ability to retain knowledge, Tikiera prioritizes holistic support. Moreover, Tikiera firmly believes in involving students actively in their learning journey. By collaborating with them to set goals and metrics, she ensures they remain engaged and motivated. She keeps students informed every step of the way, celebrating their successes and adjusting strategies when faced with challenges. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of ownership in students, leading to increased motivation and deeper learning.
One of Tikiera's greatest strengths as a tutor lies in her ability to simplify complex concepts. She firmly believes in the capability of every individual; when given the right support, any student can believe in and execute their goals. Guided by this perspective, Tikiera contends that the material is never truly hard or uninteresting; it's that the student just doesn’t understand it yet. So, she begins by reshaping the language around the topic. She then breaks down the material into easily digestible segments, grounding concepts with relatable examples. Consistency is paramount to Tikiera; she maintains her passion for the subject matter and ensures sessions are always enjoyable. She also recognizes the importance of breaks and keeps students engaged by relating content to real-life situations and incorporating non-academic activities for mental refreshment. Her genuine enthusiasm for teaching is contagious, empowering students to cultivate confidence as they persist in their learning journey.
In her free time, Tikiera can be found watching movies, enjoying nature, listening to music, traveling, and testing out new recipes.
Richard completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography. Being the recipient of countless tutoring sessions himself sparked Richard’s interest in experiencing the other side of the learning process. He has several years of tutoring experience, including working at education centers and for a test prep and college admissions firm where he was a test prep tutor, college admissions counselor, and subject tutor. To date, he has tutored over 200 students.
Richard's passion for tutoring is rooted in the satisfaction he experiences when seeing students make progress in each session. He finds immense fulfillment in being a part of this transformative process. His areas of expertise include tutoring for the ACT and SAT, as well as macro and microeconomic courses, including AP and IB.
Richard’s tutoring style is characterized by patience and a commitment to understanding each student's unique needs. He empowers students to reach their full potential by challenging them when they feel confident and providing encouragement when they are less secure. In times of insecurity, Richard supports students by methodically guiding them through the step-by-step process of problem-solving. This approach not only diminishes the sense of impossibility associated with the problem but also helps him identify the root cause of the learning block. Richard is also known to be kind and humorous, as he believes in keeping his sessions entertaining and productive.
Richard's tutoring is enriched by his personal experiences with the tests and courses he teaches. He shares his own story, empathizes with students, and adeptly places himself in their shoes. By incorporating students’ perspectives into his sessions, Richard recognizes that seemingly dull content can become interesting when aligned with the student's incentives. He also employs gamified motivation systems to maintain student engagement and facilitate a deeper understanding of the material.
In his free time, Richard enjoys photography, urban planning, chamber music, and traveling. During his gap year, he worked at a vineyard in Oregon, volunteered at an English school in Morocco, and traveled to Spain, the UAE, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China!
Alyssa graduated with honors from Fordham University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Integrative Neuroscience. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. With a wealth of tutoring experience, including serving as a teaching assistant at the graduate level, she has successfully guided more than 250 students toward achieving their academic aspirations.
Recognizing the profound influence of the teacher's role, Alyssa is driven by the "ah-ha" moments she sparks in students. Witnessing them grasp concepts they once found challenging brings her immense joy. She specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring.
Alyssa is a friendly, dedicated, and easy-going tutor known for her expertise. While academics often demand seriousness, she incorporates fun into her sessions whenever possible. Alyssa advocates for active learning, emphasizing the importance of practice in mastering standardized exams. With over 10 standardized exams under her belt, she believes in the power of repetition to familiarize students with the various ways concepts can be tested, ensuring they feel confident and prepared on exam day.
Alyssa excels in providing students with innovative resources to overcome learning hurdles. She begins by understanding their interests, which enables her to create metaphors or pneumonics tailored to resonate with them. By incorporating elements of their passions into tutoring sessions, she effectively recaptures their focus. If one metaphor or example doesn't click, she readily comes up with another. In fact, she finds that the whackier the metaphor, the easier it is to remember. If metaphors don’t work, she switches gears to explore alternative methods of problem-solving or conceptualization. She firmly believes in the value of offering diverse approaches to tackle different topics.
In her free time, Alyssa enjoys training in the gym, doing yoga, karaoke, and playing video games!
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