Michael

Certified Tutor

Hi, I'm Michael! I'm currently a student at Harvard University studying physics and archaeology. While physics and archaeology seem quite different, on a fundamental level both fields involve solving puzzles. This is why I love tutoring in physics, math, and Latin, all of which are topics embedded with puzzles. I'll begin with physics and math. I have tutored a number of students who believe that they are simply unable to understand the material at a high level. However, I truly believe that with proper instruction every student is capable of understanding physics and math in an intuitive and interesting way. I work to demonstrate this reality in sessions by never giving away the answer to a problem; I instead use leading questions to get the student to understand the problem as a whole instead of just the answer. Regarding Latin, I work to illustrate that questions in a Latin class are puzzles in and of themselves. Translations of ancient sentences are just puzzles to solve. You are given a set of rules, and students must think nimbly to apply those rules to the situation at hand. In the end, a question that seems dull at first becomes an interesting puzzle to figure out. I believe that physics and math provide a language to understand our universe and Latin provides the basis for our own language. I hope to impart on my students how much fun it can be to solve puzzles in those three subjects and to use those solutions to understand the world around us.

While I hope I have communicated above my love of physics, math, and Latin and my love for teaching those subjects, it's also important to know my qualifications in those topics. I'm planning on majoring in physics and have so far taken courses in classical mechanics, electrodynamics, and quantum mechanics. Regarding math, while I have studied multivariable calculus and theoretical linear algebra in structured class environments, I have also learned to apply this math through my physics courses. As for Latin, I have taken four years of language classes in high school and have continued my study of the language in college having taken courses in Latin literature and Roman history.

Then there's music. I've been playing violin for the past 15 years and the viola for the past 5. I spent three summers at the Indiana University Summer String Academy, culminating in winning first place in their annual string quartet competition during my last summer there. I have played solo and chamber music, and I played in an orchestra for four years, serving as principal second violin, principal viola, and associate concertmaster (not all at the same, though). I even played in a pit orchestra for four years.

Outside of the classroom and practice room, I love doing stand-up comedy, I've dabbled in creative writing, and during the summers I work as a sailing instructor at a summer camp.