Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche
"A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke
“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier
"Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas
"Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex
May seem obvious, but what about the man’s son’s school? Don’t they have someone they could recommend? Or do the schools not do that nowadays???
I can’t help you with tutors… but, given that we maneuvered Skippy-san into beer buying – don’t forget to spill a little beer today for Saint Brigid…
If memory serves you are in SD, and I would suggest going to one of the many fine Colleges [SDSU being my particular Alma Mater] in the area and pick up one of the local school periodicals. If you can sift through all the ads trying to swoon young females for $1000 per day ‘model’ shoots, I’m fairly certain you will find a few, if not many, ads for other undergrads trying to pay the bills by means of a bit more of a legtimate trade [and if you find an Aero Eng major, he may even trade for some good flying stories, I know I would have!]. Also I belive there is still an NROTC Det. at SDSU, you may be able to get some gouge there as well.
If there’s NROTC at SDSU you can bet there’s an after-hours study group set up for the pre-eng Midshipman. It would be taught by either an upperclassman or one of the officers. Say what you will about those Sons of Rickover, they ain’t lacking in the math skills, and an engineer can often explain how the sample problem can apply to Something Useful which greatly aids in understanding.
– Max
I don’t know about live tutors but there is a wealth of online tutorials for free. One of the better ones I’ve seen is at http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/
Note it is not limited to enrolled students but is geared to college level algebra
All of these are good suggestions, however, if you want to assure the candidate has the chops, ask the math department head at the university for a recommendation.
Our kids were falling behind in school. Math was the big problem in both cases. So we began to home school as part of a CA certified ISP.
Doubtful as I was at first, it’s better overall because we can focus on areas that require additional effort.
The problem with math is greatly reduced but still there. Kids hate math by nature.
Next step: videos — good videos.
We bought courses from The Teaching Company http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281. These are great vids.
Algebra I is taught by Monica Neagoy (PHD) of Georgetown, who is cute as all getout, and can teach and wink one eye at a time while emphasizing concepts. http://www.teach12.com/store/professor.asp?ID=131
Albebra II is taught by Murray H. Siegel. http://www.teach12.com/store/professor.asp?ID=21
Dr. Siegel is the consummate math teacher.
Why is this better?
The instructors are world class.
You can pause the DVD while doing the actual work.
You can go back and re-run the lesson to reinforce the lesson.
The vids are much cheaper than a tutor, with going rates here of about $50/hr.
Did I say she was cute?
We watch the vids with the kids and brush up on the lessons ourselves. The results have been dramatic, though not an instant fix. Our 13 year old son has caught up and begun to lead his class. Our 11 year old daughter is having similar success.
It works.
-SJBill
Easy. eenie-meenie-minie-moe……..
this instructor’s got to go.
This instructor gets to stay
and tutor me another day!
And you thought I was going to do something so un-P.C., eh?
Oh God!!! My mother signed me up for a chemistry tutoring class way back when because I had basically cut chemistry for an entire year and had to take the NYS Regents exam…
I remember to this day the instructor saying that he really didn’t care what happened to us because our parents had already written the checks and he had cashed them!
I passed…
In all seriousness though, I would check out any kind of honors club at the high school and see if a kid that is basically the same age would be willing to tutor.
Anyone in an honors club, or some such, seems to take things rather seriously and I think would be a very good tutor. The peer pressure also helps.
I would go with the local college. While I was working on my PhD, I made a little extra money on the side tutoring. The econ dept kept a list of grad students who were willing to tutor.
I would suspect that there are tons of Math Phd students who are dying for some cash (those kids don’t get paid so well).
My sixth grade daughter is being tutored in math by one of the other teachers in the school district. She has gone from C- to A+ in a couple of months. The advantage is the teachers know and tutor from the same curriculum used in the classroom. (His) principal might know if any of the teachers or assistants do moonlighting as tutors.
Just get yourself an Algebra II textbook off Ebay–It’ll come back to ya, Lex.
I second Flatlander.
Most elementary and high schools encourage their faculty to tutor district students on the side. The advantage of having a district teacher do it is that it’s likely he/she not only has all the materials, but knows the techniques the kid’s classroom teacher is using and so won’t confuse the kid (may use new techniques, but can integrte them into the regular teacher’s methods).
Tutors is like teachers…some got it, some don’t.Almost any outside of the classroom help is going to help, but personally I’d go for Flatlander and Fbl’s approach.The SJBill video idea is good, but you can whisper into your VCR all day and, you know, no answer.Tell your friend it’s not a good idea to try it himself.Once you get frustrated and start yelling at the kid…game over.
Hey…unless I am totally off base, alas a common occurance, Lex is seeking a tutor for himself not his friends son… a point some/most of you Goobers seemed to have missed… Best
My wife is a school teacher, she often does some side work tutoring kids to make a little extra money. I would say check around at the school, sometimes the guidance office will have information. Unless there is a school policy against it, some teachers will tutor kids on there off time.
… then again, in the alternative and assuming that some/most of you Goobers did get the point and choose, for your own reasons, to respond to the bleg as written so as not to offend Lex, fragile flower that he is, I say a pox on your house for such patronizing thoughts…he deserves better… Best (ICSFTH)
Snake Eater, Have you ever been called a Diode?
Well, whether its Lex, himself, his son (?) or daughter or he actually does a have a friend (heh heh) I was wondering about the title of the post – BLEG. Is that a combination of “beg” and “blog”?
Just curious
Snake and Idaho — I was wonder’n when someone was finally going to make that call. I was too sheepish to do it myself…
Michelle – What’s a Diode in this context? I presume you are not referring to the semiconductor that passes current in only one direction…
Foobert
I have no idea what a diode is – in any context. Was kinda hoping not to have to admit that and look any stoopider than usual though. Dern engineers, anyway.
Me, I was just wondering about the origin of the “bleg”.
Bleg– A blog where one asks for donations; a cross between blog and beg.
Whaa??
You mean I actually had it right? Cool…..
Thanks Beachbum
I live in Encinitas and know a girl who majored in math at Pamona. She has plenty of free time when not actively raising our 3 year old daughter. She might be interested in the gig if it pays well….
DOH! Apologies to Michelle — my diode question should have been directed to Idaho. Silly me for not scrolling back up to refresh my feeble memory.
So, Idaho — What’s a Diode in this context?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Snake,
Lex just finished prob & stats in his NPG school degree program he always whining about (Ha). I think that class comes after Algebra II.
I think he probably tried but he’s just not effective as a tutor to one of his own. Nothing unusual. I suffer from same problem x 10.
So he’s going professional hunting, sorta like when you run outta ideas under the sink and finally call a plumber. O’course- if it ain’t cryptic it ain’t Lex.
b2
He?
He’s got a… son, yeah that’s it. A son who could use a bit of tutoring in Algebra II. In the house, like.
You know, Lex… I know this college guy who’s very sharp in mathematics. He usually tutors just girls, but I think I can talk him into it. And he’s really cute, too… not that your “son” would care about things like that… *evil grin*
Seriously, life with teenage girls… You do have my pity, Lex.
The thing about math is that there are different ways to learn it. You may have to try a few different tutors to find the one that suits.
Kumon math centers have gotten some great reviews from people I know who have used them… that doesn’t mean they work for everyone, but they are very effective for some people.
If it was reading I would highly recommend Huntington learning centers… but they aren’t so great at math – they did however take my son from reading on a second grade level to high school level in one year (when he was going into fifth grade).
If you do go to the local University math department, be sure to tell the person that you want to do a few trial sessions to see if the two people “click” – that’s important. You may find the ideal person right away – or you may go through several with no luck at all.
I have a minor in math (six credits short of a major) and I was totally unable to help my son with his math. I had to get him a tutor who could speak “his language” when it came to learning. We don’t think alike at all. I was lucky because a friend of mine “knew someone who knew someone”. She turned out to be a full time tutor and she was the one who dragged my son though high school. heh.
I wish you the best of luck – and hope you find someone who fits.