Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 tutor

About Giovanni

Your child isn't "dumb".

Your child doesn't have a "problem with learning and paying attention".

Your child doesn't need to "spend less time on their phone and do more homework".

After 8 years of tutoring students from elementary school to college/graduate school, I've heard almost every excuse for why a student struggles to succeed in a class. What I've found time and time again is that the problem does not lie with the student, but more so with the teacher.

Unlike the other tutors you’ve looked at, I won’t bore you with the details of my high school GPA, what my AP/SAT scores were 10 years ago, or how many different degrees I picked up at Harvard.
Those details are GREAT if you’re looking for someone smart to take an exam FOR you, but USELESS if you’re trying to find a tutor who can ACTUALLY teach the concepts in a CLEAR and coherent manner.

Many students come to me after they have already tried another tutor who may have looked more qualified or charged a lower rate. They frequently complain "my last tutor made me feel dumb", "he didn’t explain anything", or "I didn't get it".

Your time is valuable and you deserve a tutor who can communicate with compassion. While I have spent the last 11 years of my life working in experimental physics, I am NOT your stereotypical physicist. I am a tutor who can connect with students in a meaningful way so that they are EXCITED to succeed. I am able to break down complex concepts in THEIR language such that the student looks forward to meeting with me as an OPPORTUNITY to learn rather than a REQUIREMENT to avoid failing a class.

Quality education starts with finding the most effective way a student learns. After sitting down for thousands of hours with different students, I have seen almost EVERY single way a student learns to tackle a particular problem. By working with a student, I am able to identify the particular gaps in their knowledge that prevent them from understanding everything that is going on. I then create a tailor-made lesson plan to remove these "missing-links" as well as assign similar problems to reinforce the concepts learned during our lesson.

I am VERY patient; if the first explanation does not work, I try a second, then a third, and sometimes even a fourth way of explaining the problem until we find the right strategy that causes it to "click" in their head. Having worked with a wide variety of students from different schools, I have also seen countless exams and homework assignments. From this knowledge, I can predict what type of questions are asked on exams for each specific topic. I will assign and practice these types of questions multiple times with students. That way when they see the same type of problem on their exam they do not “freeze” or “blank”. Rather, the student EXCELS with the confidence that they’ve conquered a similar problem before.

Many students are discouraged from continuing in math/science because they are disillusioned with the coursework. They don’t understand WHY they have to learn to use “stupid equations” or memorize formulas. By creating fun examples, I work with each student to connect the problems they are working on in a textbook to real-life problems in their world. By peaking their curiosity with current developments in these fields, I can inspire them to want to learn more and transition their view on classes as being DESIRED, not required.

A bit about me:
I’m currently finishing up on my PhD at UCLA in plasma physics. Born in North Carolina, grew up in Texas, and now have been living in LA for the last 7 years. I love to travel, surf, and am also passionate about playing the cello and producing music.

In terms of lessons, I can meet at my office or other locations such as a coffee shop/your home/etc depending on my schedule (and traffic).

If you have ANY other questions, please feel free to ask!