High School Mathematics Teacher Offers Online Math Tutoring For High School Students 

Find out more about Trevor

• When and why did you develop an interest in your chosen field?

  While I always had an inherent interest in mathematics, I only started to pursue a career in tutoring it to secondary school students after my first year of University. The main thing that interests me about mathematics is the abundant relevance it has on our everyday lives. Typical problems that secondary and post-secondary students get in the subject are ones involving closed-form solutions; however, mathematics in the real world have open-form solutions.
  
  The difference between the two is that closed-form solutions have a certain number of procedures to get to the solution, while open-form solutions are created based on data and tests/experiments. In my last semester before graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, I was part of a mathematical project with United Way to locate areas in need of after-school care in British Columbia.

• What makes you passionate about your subject?

  What makes me passionate about mathematics is that it develops critical thinking in ways that most other academic subjects struggle to do. As previously mentioned for problems involving closed-form solutions, they all have a logical approach to getting to the desired answer. For open-form solution problems, it requires using all of your mathematical knowledge to find a solution that best caters to the given data. Mathematics is a beautiful subject that challenges students at all levels.
  
  The feeling of finally understanding mathematical concepts that were once a struggle is a rewarding experience that is unlike most, if not all other subjects. Mathematics is unfortunately only seen at an extremely small portion to most people, but is extremely vast and much more than just calculations. As a future secondary school mathematics educator, my passion is and will continue to be inspiring future students to see mathematics through a different lens and hopefully develop their overall interest in pursuing the subject further.

• What do you like about tutoring? What makes you a "Superprof"?

  What I like most about tutoring is that it helps me recognize the various talents that students have and being able to create strategies catered towards each individual. One of the critical factors separating students who find success in mathematics from ones who do not is confidence. Confidence causes a snowball-like effect, where understanding concepts generally leads to motivation to attempt new problems, which then allows individuals to perform well on tests.
  
  Tutoring allows me to create a safe learning environment for the student to learn, which ultimately helps grow their confidence. I focus on the understanding of concepts instead of memorization because memorization can only help to an extent; understanding concepts is ultimately what will help a student understand new situations that use previously learned concepts. Furthermore, tutoring students is fun and engaging. I always find myself learning more about the students that I tutor, ultimately causing the time in lessons to go by quickly. What makes me a "Superprof" is that the students I tutor are also engaged and enjoy the time spent together. Moreover, the confidence that they gain through the tutoring lessons that they have with me has allowed them to improve upon their previous performances.

• Do you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you? Please explain.

  In secondary school, I had an instructor named Carlo Muro who inspired me to pursue tutoring students in Mathematics. Prior to tutoring on Superprof, I had experience doing volunteer tutoring for grade 9 students who attended a support block led by Carlo for mathematics. This block was a non-graded class that catered to students who struggled in mathematics by giving them an opportunity to hone their skills and build confidence so that they could succeed in their actual mathematics classes. Carlo's passion for mathematics inspired me, which ultimately led me to eventually tutoring mathematics on Superprof.

• What are your keys to success?

  My keys to success are threefold. The first is to ask for help by asking lots of questions. A lot of students are worried to ask questions because they have the preconceived notion that asking questions will out them as unknowledgeable. This is not true though, as a lot of students are likely to have a similar question. Being able to ask questions towards a subject demonstrates to others that you are determined to want to learn more. Moreover, asking questions allows for educators, tutors, and others to understand where you are struggling, which then allows them to provide you with the proper assistance.
  
  The second is to build confidence. Confidence can generally be built upon by doing more questions, although it is still critical to understand the concepts being presented prior. Understanding the concepts beforehand will allow problems to be done at a faster pace, which is a relevant factor for time-based assessments like tests.
  
  The final thing is to not be afraid of failure. Not understanding a concept right away does not mean you will never understand it. When faced with failure, you are given a choice to either ask for help to understand what you previously did not know or give up trying. It is critical to seek the former with mathematics, as concepts overlap with one another. The people with the most success in mathematics choose to actively seek help when they do not understand concepts, which ultimately allows them to build confidence later on. Mathematics is a subject that only gets easier through perseverance of attempting problems and seeking help when needed. By following these three keys, success in mathematics is possible for anyone.