Heather R.
Private tutor in Cleveland Heights, OH
Education
Masters Degree in Technology and Engineering Education from Brigham Young University 2012 - My thesis was based on the Engineering Design Process which is an organization technique to help people think through problems. I got my Master's in teaching people to think. Bachelors of Science in Physics Teaching, Minor in Chemistry, 2009 Brigham Young University. Best Physics Teaching Program in the country. Our focus in on modeling and learning from experiences, not just giving equations and information. We focused on teaching students how to draw information from their observances and so the information is accessible any time you can remember the experience.
Experience
I have taught Physics and Chemistry for the last 6 years at a prestigious high school in Utah. My husband and I have recently relocated and so I'm looking for part time work. My test scores during the year and on standard tests have always been the highest in my school and significantly higher than most of the state. I believe in helping people think through the problem, not just giving them the answers or doing their homework. Students need to be able to understand the material and I help them with that by asking deeper questions, reteaching the material in a visual or hands on way, and expecting them to learn. I've had particular success with girls in the difficult science classes. For several years, I have had no gender gap (school/state average was girls behind about 12%), meaning the girls performed as well as the boys. Male and female students need slightly different approaches and I'm happy to work with both. I love to understand what each student is thinking and what they need, and then teach directly for them. Tutoring allows me to work one on one with students; I miss that so much from teaching. I've taught physics, chemistry, meteorology and astronomy at the high school level, usually sophomores and juniors. While teaching physics, I feel like I have spent a lot of time teaching the math required for basic physics, particularly algebra and geometry. Having a basic understanding of the math principles is crucial to succeed in the sciences. While teaching physics, I've extensively taught graphing and graph interpretation. The ACT science section is all about interpreting graphs and I have a great love for graphs and the extensive amount of information you can glean from them. I don't believe in memorizing, with very few exceptions. If you can logically reason your way into understanding the material, it gives a much better control with the concepts that can then drive your mathematical work. When you understand the concepts on a deeper level, it is much easier to remember them long term and build upon them as the content expands. I also have a valid Ohio State 7-12 Teaching license in Physics and Physical Science so I have been fingerprinted and background checked. It expires in 2020.
Subject Expertise
General Chemistry6th Grade Science7th Grade Science8th Grade ScienceACT SciencePhysical ScienceChemistryHonors Chemistry4th Grade ScienceAP Physics 1PhysicsEarth ScienceAstronomyAP ChemistryAP Physics 1 - DUPE10th Grade math5th Grade Science3rd Grade ScienceMiddle School MathElementary MathACT Math9th Grade math8th Grade math6th Grade math7th Grade math5th Grade math4th Grade math3rd Grade math2nd Grade math1st Grade math
Availability
Weekdays at any time
Can Meet
Up to 30 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
I love cooking, wood crafting, sewing, biking, hiking, canoeing, and currently, home repairs. I've advised in my school's chapter of National Honors Society for the past 5 years, and founded a GIRLS club to develop self esteem and self-acceptance that also ran the last 5 years I taught there.
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