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Ray
- Rate L833
- Response 1h
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Number of students Ray has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
Number of students Ray has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
L833/hr
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1st lesson free
- Chemistry
Experienced tutor in Chemistry in Irving, Ray offers private lessons tailored to your needs.
- Chemistry
Lesson location
About Ray
25 years of teaching and tutoring in all fields from essay writing to Advanced Organic Chemistry.
Seeing the light of understanding dawn in the eyes of a student that had been struggling with a problem.
I have been tutoring since I was a sophomore in high school (1985-6). As a high school student taking Chemistry II, I began tutoring students in Chemistry I for gas money. In college, I took Chemistry I and II over my first summer. The professors were impressed enough with my work (both in my own test grades and helping struggling classmates improve their scores) to request that I teach chemistry lab classes for my work/study assignment (1988-1991). I have been teaching ever since, either at schools where I was attending classes (either as a work study student or a graduate assistant) or at nearby high schools (usually Catholic high schools where quality of education trumped having a teaching certificate). Once I had my doctorate, I began both teaching and developing my own classes at various colleges and universities. In 2014, I semi-retired from teaching due to the state of education in Oklahoma.
My education and training involves seven degrees at bachelor or above in various fields and more than twenty-five years of teaching and tutoring at all levels. My highest degrees include a doctorate (PhD) in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma and a terminal Master's (MLA) from the University of St. Thomas. My training includes tutoring for the special education department of a small public college and teaching for various Catholic high schools (5th-12th grade) as well as years of teaching for colleges and universities (most required a minimum of ten office hours per week for tutoring students). I also developed and taught summer academies (Exploring Natural Resources) for 8th -10th grade students in the hopes of stimulating their interest in the sciences (as well as an awareness in the environment).
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About the lesson
- Primary
- Lower Secondary
- Senior Secondary
- +7
levels :
Primary
Lower Secondary
Senior Secondary
Post Secondary Education
Higher Education
Adult Education
Master's Degree
Doctorate
MBA
Early Childhood Care & Development
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
There really is no typical process per se that I use. Each student is totally different. On the first meeting with the student, I try to assess the personality of the student as well as the student's goals, background, and proficiency in the subject in which I am tutoring. For example:
Personality:
One student may need the near silence of a library to focus. Another may need music to drown out all background noise. One may not be able to focus if other people are around. Still another may be very uncomfortable if not in a public place. Finding what environment works best for a particular student is important to that student's eventual success.
Goals:
A student that is trying to get the top grade in his/her organic chemistry class in order to improve the letter of recommendation for medical school requires a different process than a mentally-challenged student trying to scrape a passing grade in an algebra class. In the first case, the student probably needs in depth tutoring of the reasons for and behind the organic reactions. In the second case, helping the student devise a means for rote memorization of the most important facts may be the best process. Determining the student's goals is crucial to helping the student meet those goals.
Background:
A student who learned basic science skills in India or Pakistan tends to work most chemistry problems as a set of proportions, while a European student tends to learn a more algebraic substitution method, and the American student tends to use a fraction-based algebraic system (factor-label). While each system gets to the same end, the teaching methods of most college university professors follows the American system - many students who learned their basic skills in foreign countries need help adapting to the collegiate courses. With over twenty-five years of teaching at various colleges and universities, I like to think I have seen most of the different approaches and am able to help students adapt to new ones or at least recognize the differences and similarities between methods.
Proficiency:
A student that dropped out of school in the 8th grade that returns to college ten years later to take a chemistry course tends to need a much more thorough background in basic science skills than a student who has always been the top of his/her science classes but is now struggling with the three-dimensional nature of organic chemistry. Recognizing the student's basic proficiency in basic science is necessary to devise a plan that will succeed for that particular student.
In conclusion, once I have met with the student, I try to develop a process that will work for that particular student's personality to achieve that particular student's goals given that particular student's background and proficiency. In other words, the only "typical process" is to meet the student and determine what process is going to work best for that particular student.
I have taught and tutored at all levels from 5th grade through collegiate levels (I have also had one graduate student, but "tutoring" him was really more along the lines of "advising"). I have tutored both mentally and physically challenged students when working for tutoring departments. I have tutored students needing help in basic science, geology, and various chemistry classes as well as students needing help with essay-writing and term papers in poetry, English Literature and history. In addition, my wife and I home-schooled our own kids to the 9thgrade. While not really customers, I learned a large amount of teaching skills from this activity.
If you are looking to hire a tutor, make sure you get someone with enough experience to understand the student as well as the material. If the tutor only understands the material, they may not be able to find something that works for that particular student. A tutor that takes the time to understand the student will be able to develop a process tailor-made to that particular student.
A recent project of which I am very fond would probably be working on an archaeological dig. As a kid, I always wanted to work on a dig. As an undergraduate student, I managed to volunteer on a local dig for a couple weekends. It was rather exciting, but since I was not an anthropology major I was unable to do much more than move dirt. After the bottom fell out of education in Oklahoma (2014), I returned to the University of Oklahoma to major in anthropology with an emphasis on archaeology. The summer of 2016, I was able to join an archaeological dig as an anthropology major. It was worth the wait! (If you are interested, the on-line article "Archaeological field school re-digs history at USACE's Abiquiu Lake" covers the dig - and the pictures of the grey-bearded student among the college kids and youthful professor is me. As to how long it took, if you count the time from childish interest, about forty years. If you count the time from when I began to actively pursue it, about two years.
A few things worth thinking about before reaching out
The student, as a customer, should think through what it is they are really wanting to achieve. If it is a particular outcome for the overall class (passing or acing), are the goals realistic. I have had students show up for tutoring with a twenty percent average in the last week of the class. At that point, there simply isn't enough points left in the class to raise the student's grade. Similarly, the student should consider whether what they want is to pass a particular test or class or whether they want to truly understand the material for a life-long career that relies on that knowledge base. Finally, consider that no tutor or teacher can force a student to learn. If a student refuses to actively engage the topic, no amount of great analogies or words of wisdom on the topic can force the knowledge on the student. The student has to be willing to learn. The question they should ask themselves before approaching a professional, then, is: am I really willing to learn?
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Rates
Rate
- L833
Pack prices
- 5h: L4165
- 10h: L8330
free lessons
The first free lesson with Ray will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.
- 1hr
online
- L833/h
Details
I tend to consider my time worth at least $20/hour (that includes travel time if I am traveling to a student). For any basic sciences up through general chemistry classes, I ask $20/hour. For organic chemistry, the 3-d nature usually requires extra preparation time so I ask $25/hour. I do not charge extra for additional students, but be advised that sharing the cost also tends to water down the effectiveness of the tutoring. One on one will get you the best results (no two students are exactly the same - see "typical process" above). However, if you still wish to bring a friend or classmate, feel free!
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