Emma Z.
Private tutor in San Diego, CA
Education
I am a 28-year-old Mathematics and Mandarin/Cantonese tutor in the San Diego, CA area. I graduated from Michigan State University with a Master of Science in Packaging. I have been tutoring and teaching for 7 years while in my undergraduate and graduate programs, and have rekindled my desire for sharing my knowledge now that I have settled in San Diego. I grew up in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and am a native Cantonese and Mandarin speaker. I moved to the U.S to study at Michigan State University. Ever since I was young, I have had a passion for math and science. This led me to pursue my college studies in the field of Engineering and motivated me to share this passion through tutoring. While completing my Master’s degree, I served as a teaching assistant in the Packaging and Dynamics Lab, helping undergraduate students with the proper operation and understanding of various the testing equipment. In addition to classroom instruction, I have advised undergraduate students on appropriate research topics and edited and evaluated their work on topics within food packaging area, including test methods and calculations. I published my graduate research dissertation in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies.
Experience
During my undergraduate time in Guangzhou, as a private tutor, I taught students Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and Statistics. The grade levels ranged from elementary to high school students. China, in general, has a very strict schooling system and also has something similar to the U.S.’s SATs for college admissions. When teaching students, I found unique ways to simplify the concepts presented within these curriculum and exams so that they could better understand and be more comfortable with the material. All of my students showed significant improvement. One student even jumps from an initial practice test score of 29/150 on a mathematics test to a final test score of 105/150. My three years of professional experience as an Engineer has provided me with a solid application that is useful in assisting students with math-related projects and assignments. Throughout my tutor sessions, I will emphasize critical thinking to inspire transitioning Math from the paper to real life situations. Besides being a native Chinese speaker, who can speak and write Mandarin and Cantonese fluently, I take pride in being able to share my culture and experience, with students, are who taking their first steps in learning the Chinese language. Learning a culture when learning a language is another good way to let the mind escape from the pen and paper learning to more meaningful scenarios that will connect with beginners and advanced students alike. My aim during my tutor sessions is to build confidence with the student that they will be able to grasp the topics that are being taught, even when outside the classroom. I employ visual and practical examples through my experiences to help students further understand and build connections. I can mold my sessions to a student’s current curriculum or create sessions that can take them further ahead of where they already are.
Subject Expertise
Algebra 3/4Cantonese3rd Grade mathCalculus 1CLEP PrecalculusAlgebra 11st Grade math12th Grade math11th Grade math10th Grade math2nd Grade mathMandarin ChineseCalculus 2Calculus 3Elementary Math4th Grade mathAP Calculus ABGeometryTrigonometry5th Grade mathAlgebra 2AP Calculus BC6th Grade math7th Grade math9th Grade math8th Grade mathElementary Algebra
Availability
Weekdays after 5PM, Weekends after 9AM
Can Meet
Up to 30 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
When I am not tutoring, I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, I am a sucker for detective themed TV shows and movies, and I love great food and great conversation. I truly am of the opinion that learning and becoming good at something is just one step, but being able to share and teach that knowledge is the next jump. I want to make my sessions as engaging as possible to speak the student’s interest and make them more receptive to learning what I enjoyed learning.
Show More
Inquire About This Tutor
Thanks!
Most tutors respond within 48 hours.
Feel free to contact other tutors while you wait.