U.S. History and European History tutor

About Joe

I am not going to lie, and claim that I was an actual history teacher during my adult life. However, a few points:

1. I majored in history in college, for the obvious reason that I just loved it.

2. Chicago North Shore guy - Glencoe to be exact. New Trier High School, '74. U. of Illinois undergraduate and Master's degree. Two adult children. My wife and I have always made our home in Evanston. Adult career: built, owned and operated a commercial transportation company for 30 years.. Retired from the commercial world now.

I am not going to lie, and claim that I was an actual history teacher during my adult life. However, a few points:

1. I majored in history in college, for the obvious reason that I just loved it.

2. I enjoy teaching so much that I have been giving free, three month long history courses at local nursing homes as a volunteer for the past two years. I'll never know what it is, but it truly floats my boat to lead others down the path of knowing and understanding the past. I do get fairly animated, so as to remove the "this stuff sure is dry" reaction by my audience. My senior citizen students applaud me at the end of my presentations. I get terribly embarrassed, and wish they wouldn't, as the pleasure is all mine. That is why I'm glad to do it for free. They claim that it is my enthusiasm and occasional but appropriate sense of humor that makes the subject come alive to them. One of them once asked if I were a retired Ph.D. history professor, because she thought I knew so much. I could only chuckle, and assured her that my knowledge was absolutely nothing compared to that of a Ph.D.
3. In my adult life hobbies, I have been a washout when it comes to playing adult sports (tennis, golf, and the like), the outdoors, the performing arts, what have you. Reading, pretty much, has been my hobby. Like so many of us, I enjoy reading on a variety of topics. However, history has easily been my number one. I truly have continued expanding my horizons in my undergraduate major during my adulthood, with great, great satisfaction.

Areas of knowledge:

1) 20th century American
2) 20th century European (strong focus on WWI and WWII)
3) 18th - 19th century European (the rise of modern Europe)
4) Ancient Rome: both the Republic (pre 44 b.c.) and the Empire (44 b.c. - 476 a.d.)
5) 20th century China: (1911-2000 – WWII, The rise of Mao, and communism)

My hours are quite flexible days and evenings. My preference is to start our interaction via a phone call. Please phone me any day before 12:00 noon (Central Time), 7 days a week, at ***. However, if you prefer, email me at ***, provide me your phone number, and several good days and times to phone you. You are more than welcome to ask any and all questions of me in your email. I have no problem phoning in the evenings.