Algebra 2 and Calculus tutor

About Derek

I absolutely love helping people understand math better. I have been tutoring math since my sophomore year at Virginia Tech--eons ago.

I have been a 'numbers person' all my life. I enjoyed math as a kid. I majored in electrical engineering in college. I enjoyed tutoring college math, engineering, and calculus during my days at Virginia Tech. After graduation, I worked as an engineer for a few years before returning to school. Some of my favorite moments were in helping high school students in math and adults prepping for the math portion of professional certification tests. In graduate school, I focused on innovation and product development in high tech industries, requiring a heavy dose of quantitative courses in business, engineering, and math. It was always a pleasure helping classmates figure out tough quantitative and analytical problems. Post MBA, I worked in product development in leading technology companies. While helping create industry-leading and award-winning products, I developed an interest in US student mathematics performance. I began tutoring math more frequently and eventually taught middle school math for a few years.

Currently, I tutor middle school mathematics (math 6, math 7, math 8, pre-algebra), high school mathematics (algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, math analysis, algebra/trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus), college prep (SAT math, college placement math test prep), ASVAB math prep, and college math (college math, pre-calculus, calculus).

I have been told that I am great at making the complicated and difficult easy to understand and comprehend. I am irreverent, sarcastic, and wacky. I like to 'torture' my students while making learning fun. However, I insist that my students work independently and exhaust all options before trying to use me as a crutch just because 'I can make it easy'.

Please feel free to contact me to learn more about how I may be able to assist you and to schedule lessons.