Undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin, well-versed in tutoring many forms of math including calculus, algebra and trigonometry. Open to teach all ages!

Find out more about Jadon

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  1.) I developed an interest in math when I was in 7th grade, and we started seeing the
  
  applications of the computations that we were learning, such as percents, discounts, statistics,
  
  interest, and much more. Given these applications, it opened my eyes to how creative and
  
  astounding math could be, considering the infinite possibilities it provides for solving a problem,
  
  as well as its connections to various other fields. At this time, I wanted to take my skills to the
  
  next level and engross myself in the subject as I started taking multiple classes at a time. At this
  
  point, I truly found my passion as I pursued algebra and later calculus and saw the depth of the
  
  subject. I also love the subject because it is subjective and objective simultaneously. One must
  
  be creative to solve the problem well, with multiple ways to solve it, with only one answer. I
  
  started to tutor the subject because I found that many people did not share the same passion for
  
  math that I have. So, I figured that for many students, that was due to a lack of understanding.
  
  Therefore, I decided to start private tutoring to spread my passion and allow others to see the
  
  beauty of math while also feeling more confident in their academic abilities.

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  2.) The topics that I like to teach students the most is the start of algebra as well as Calculus I
  
  and II, however I will teach other subjects in math, and I am open to it because I want to explore
  
  the subject just as much as the student does and learn more because sometimes I learn while I
  
  am teaching as well. If a student wants a certain subject taught, I will explore the subject to fulfill
  
  their needs prior to the lesson if I believe it is within my capabilities. I love teaching Algebra and
  
  Calculus the most because in Algebra, the computation can be double-checked by the student
  
  by working backwards, which allows for more learning and use of their skills. Furthermore, the
  
  idea of solving for an "unknown" is introduced in Algebra, which is the most important concept in
  
  math (using letters) because that is the only way we can solve complex real-world problems in
  
  all areas of math. I also love manipulating numbers using many sorts of operations to find the
  
  answers and teaching students the tricks of the trade to solve the problems faster. As for
  
  Calculus, there are infinite applications of this subject as well regarding change, while
  
  previously, all problems for the most part involved static situations. Given this change in problem
  
  type, I began to love the infinite possiblities in front of me and all the types of scenarios that I
  
  could solve that are not nearly as isolated as they once were. They include most real-world
  
  factors such as air resistance, drag, and many others. I do not like teaching geometry that much
  
  because I am not a visual learner, so picturing the problem was not always my forte. However, I
  
  am open to learning more about the subject and developing a love for it in time because I know
  
  all areas of math have their merits.

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  3.) My older brother is my role model and inspired me to pursue private tutoring. He didn't tell
  
  me to pursue it, but his actions inspired me to do so. He was pursuing his passion in sports
  
  cards, and I saw him struggle to gain his footing in his endeavors, but eventually he gained
  
  momentum and became successful while being happy in the process. I realized I could do the
  
  same thing with tutoring because spreading knowledge and helping others is my passion, and I
  
  knew I would face struggles to become known on platforms such as this one and possibly not
  
  succeed. However, seeing him work day in and day out on a subject that is very difficult to be
  
  successful, allowed me to gain confidence in my ability to pursue my passion. My boss at
  
  Kumon also inspired me in that she allowed me to see the true range of my communication and
  
  teaching skills as I helped students with the work in math and English. She commented on mypatience and shortcuts to solve the problem. Once I saw that someone recognized abilities I
  
  didn’t realize I had, it inspired me to pursue the abilities and start private tutoring in a subject I love: Math.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  4.) I believe one must be patient, adaptable, open-minded, passionate, and communicative to
  
  be a successful tutor. I say patient because one will definitely come across students who do not
  
  want to be taught or will not want to listen to you or anyone else because they despise the work
  
  they are doing. They may also grow frustrated easily and give up. However, you as the tutor can
  
  not lose your temper and give up as well because then you prove them right, so you must stay
  
  patient and calm and communicate with the student to find a common ground you can both
  
  grow from and allow the student to learn. This action requires compromise and adaptation and
  
  creativity because your original plan 90% of the time will change and go off the rails, so you
  
  must change with it while also effectively passing on knowledge to the student. This requires
  
  one to be open-minded to change and new ideas as well because everyone is different and my
  
  job is to tailor my teaching to their needs, not their learning to my teaching. Lastly, and most
  
  importantly, passion and communication. How you feel about a subject is shown through your
  
  communication with the student. If you are frustrated and angry, they will be too. However, if you
  
  are passionate about the subject and let your happiness bleed through, the student will see how
  
  amazing the subject can be and be happy too. Throw in a joke every once in a while too if you
  
  can to break some monotony if there is any. Be loose and happy about it, have fun with it almost
  
  because then the student will enjoy themselves and not feel so scared of it. That’s the goal:
  
  They enjoy themselves because one learns best when happy.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  5.) An anecdote I would share is when my geometry teacher played a game called quadbattle,
  
  which is basically a game of Stratego but with properties of quadrilaterals. I had the most fun in
  
  math I had ever had in my least favorite topic of math and learned the properties extremely fast.
  
  This idea he had to create a tournaments using the properties in a popular game was very
  
  clever, and I realized the key to teaching is finding a way to make the information more
  
  enjoyable to learn without the student even realizing until it is over. I have tried to apply this
  
  philosophy to my teaching in that I may use funny language to make the learning a little more
  
  informal and not just lecturing. For example, I may say for multiplying “zero is your best man at
  
  your wedding” because multiplying zero is just zero so it is your favorite number when
  
  computing. This type of language makes the information easier to obtain instead me just saying
  
  “anything multiplied by zero is zero”
  
  . That’s boring. No one wants to hear someone drone on
  
  about properties. So this event in my life allowed me to see how creative a teacher can be with
  
  teaching all sorts of mathematical equations and information, and inspired me to teach in a
  
  similar manner. In that moment, I found that teaching this way is almost unconventional so it is
  
  memorable. In turn, when it is memorable, the information is better remembered when recalling
  
  the event. It also makes the student laugh and smile when I talk this way.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  6.) The challenges I face in the subject is visualization of real world situations. Sometimes,
  
  translating the words to picture it in my mind is very difficult because it is a lot of information at
  
  once and putting together in a picture is nearly impossible. So, I try to turn everything into an
  
  equation, preferably an algebraic one. Since I am a very numerical person and great atmanipulating operations, this is my strong suit. I also struggle with letting the problem go to relax
  
  when I can’t crack it. It will be on my mind all day until I have an epiphany, which could be seen
  
  as good because I don’t give up. However, it also drives me insane while I am with others and
  
  don’t live in the moment as a result. Especially when I had to write proofs and desperately
  
  needed to know the missing step. Lastly, sometimes I struggle to formulate what questions to
  
  ask in a certain subject because not even I know what I am having difficulty with in a problem
  
  sometimes and I don’t want to ask for help always. However, I am improving in that because
  
  open mindedness is everything in math, academia and life because you can’t grow unless you
  
  learn from others.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  7.) My passion is to teach and tutor any subject because I love passing on knowledge and
  
  improving children’s lives by relieving the stress of school even if it is just a small amount. I want
  
  to pass my passion to others through my tutoring which is why I am animant about teaching
  
  math as I want others to enjoy it with me. I am also passionate about music and movies
  
  because it is a way for me to decompress. I also find the way beats can come together in so
  
  many ways in songs to be fascinating and makes me feel creative. Movies it is similar s people
  
  put together tones, body language, images, setting and more to put together just one scene. I
  
  love seeing it all come together into a masterpiece.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  8.) I believe that I am a superprof because I am patient, knowledgable and can communicate
  
  well with children to make academia not so daunting. I also am not too nervous even when it is
  
  a new student because I can adapt well to new situations. I can sense one’s demeanor very well
  
  to figure out a good way to communicate with them. However, I do not think that I am a perfect
  
  tutor not in the slightest. I have so much to learn from people more experienced than me, and I
  
  am excited to continue the journey to improve my skills and help others as much as possible