Thomas H.
Private tutor in Nashville, TN
Education
I earned a BA from Yale University in 2006 and went on to earn my PhD in Anthropology, from University of Pennsylvania in 2018.
Experience
I have 3 years of ACT/SAT tutoring experience and 6 years (cumulative) of college-level teaching experience in Anthropology, Art History, and Archaeology classes at various universities. In my previous SAT and ACT tutoring experience, I helped over 120 students who usually saw about 15-25% increases on their scores under my tutelage. I also worked with students on a variety of different subject tests and classes. I recently began tutoring again and currently tutor several students in ACT and SAT preparation online. I started tutoring as a way to pay the bills but quickly grew to love the challenge of working out the best ways to help students succeed. I love witnessing (and helping) students transform over the course of a learning period -- whether that is an hour or several months -- as they build knowledge, skills, and self-confidence. The ability to learn is one of the most important things in the world, and it feels good to help people learn. I believe the role of a tutor is not so much to express what they know to a student, but help guide the student along a path of learning and discovery: in other words, to help the student take ownership of their own education. Identifying areas of weakness must be followed by working through targeted problems with the student, while referring to larger principles that help them see how seemingly different problems and areas connect. The final step is asking the student to take a primary role in both teaching and learning, which means that the instructor takes a less direct role at this point, focusing on guidance, feedback, and reinforcement, rather than of simple demonstration or lecture. In my experience, this process creates the highest levels of student engagement and the most successful learning outcomes.
Availability
Any day at any time
Can Meet
Up to 20 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
Most of my research experience while earning my PhD has been in archaeology, and I've participated in several archaeological projects and directed a three-year project outside of Cusco, Peru. I'm also an avid swimmer - I swam competitively from the age of six until graduating college and was an All-American swimmer in high school. In high school, I also played the cello, ran cross country, and played soccer. I enjoy reading, especially science fiction and non-fiction essays and books about society, culture, and politics. I'm a fan of soccer and follow the major professional leagues around the world. I've traveled extensively and was recently on TV, as an on-camera archaeology consultant for a National Geographic documentary.
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