Math/SAT/ACT/Writing - As a USC & UCLA 2x graduate in aerospace engineering, and tutor of 4+ years in math/physics/writing for both K-12 & college students, I help connect the dots!

Find out more about Ivan

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I first developed an interest in my chosen field of math and sciences as a child, particularly in astronomy and space travel, which I did and still find incredibly exciting (we may be living in a new space age after all). I excelled at it, and I found when I was a senior in high school, I had the ability to communicate and explain math quite well to my classmates. I became a teaching assistant at one point, and that inspired me to try professional tutoring first with friends, then friends of family friends, and finally to platforms such as this one where I can reach as many students as possible.

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I mainly teach math of all grade levels, along with a variety of STEM subjects including physics and engineering coursework. I also tutor some students in English learning and writing, along with test preparation for SAT/ACT/AP tests. Most other subjects I will likely have some familiarity with, but I would request to see relevant materials in advance.

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Yes! In high school my math teacher and chemistry teacher inspired me, both directly through the ways they made learning interesting and indirectly through how they conducted themselves. They were patient and understanding, and able to drive us as a class to understand key points. My chemistry teacher’s story of working in industry and in his later years leaving to teach high school resonated deeply with me. I would meet professors in university who had a similar impact on me and showed me how they could pursue careers in their specialized majors while still returning to teaching or doing it at the same time. Their passion for helping others learn was contagious, and I find myself with the same drive!

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Beyond being proficient in their chosen field of instruction, I find there are two interpersonal qualities that are necessary to be a good tutor. Number one is patience, which is necessary to see a student’s journey from the beginning of their learning journey to the end in full, without missing a beat to take shortcuts on their or one’s own behalf, nor to withdraw personal responsibility from the student’s results. The second is compassion, which is not just important to being a pleasant person, but consequential to seeing the framework from which the student best learns from and doing one’s best to communicate in the way they see the subject and the world.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I once remember getting a phone call in high school from my friend who told me he was sailing and needed to know the area of an irregular triangle for some sail or other similar construction he was making, as he didn’t know and wasn’t much of a math guy. While I probably didn’t give him the best industry answer, I told him a formula from high school geometry that would work and explained it to him, and his problem was more-or-less solved. He joked to me and said, “And they always ask when will we use this stuff in real life?” As random as it was and perhaps a comical application at the time, it cemented the idea to me that math will exert its importance whether you think so or not. Even for the majority of people who won’t ever use it, concepts such as compound growth/decay and combinatorics have immediate real-life financial applications, and math is omnipresent in the software we use. Someone well-versed in math will be better off in most careers as it teaches problem-solving, let alone being useful for college admissions. What role math will have in future students’ lives I’m not sure, but I hope accessibility to education continues to grow and I can do my part in teaching the many uses of math.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  While I don’t consider any challenges have prevented me from doing my job as a tutor well, one thing I’ve noticed with teaching math is the difficulty in catching up if a student falls very behind or starts tutoring at a point later than preferred for ideal outcomes. For one, sometimes it’s difficult to recover their desired grade in the class if it’s too late. More importantly, it can feel demoralizing for the student, and mindset is a much harder thing to teach than any math curriculum (though I always do my best to instill a healthy and proactive mindset in my students). For this reason, I encourage parents to reach out to the school or a tutor like me immediately if they notice any difficulties, decline, or disconnect from what the student is learning.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  Teaching, in its various forms, has always been a strong passion of mine. There’s the direct teaching that I do as a tutor, but I thoroughly enjoy education and advocating for the STEM studies in my personal and professional life. I relish any opportunity, whether it be in university or a job experience, to learn something interesting or important and be able to teach that to other people who can benefit from my findings. This approach to life of wanting to help others I’ve found has deepened connections with others, especially as it may pertain to their personal life challenges and providing them with empathetic guidance.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  I’ve come to understand where my students are struggling and have been able to help them almost immediately after a tutoring session or two with them. As other parents and students can attest, I’m very patient with their learning journey and can help most students with special learning needs. While I don’t promise flashy methods, my process has documented positive outcomes that raise grades and understanding. My ability to explain comes from a strong foundation of skill and knowledge, along with a strong understanding of my students and their own needs and psychology. Being a Superprof is staying committed to a student’s learning and making sure they understand step-by-step, with full understanding of how to encourage and grow their minds.