I help your teen build resilience and confidence in math, coding, and beyond.
In-person tutoring in the Pasadena and
surrounding areas. Serving grades
8 through 12.
With my mindful approach, your teen will:
- Learn confidence and skill in math or coding.
- See improved grades on tests and timely completion of homework.
- Experience less stress in lessons through mindfulness techniques.
- Learn to embrace challenges and treat mistakes as learning opportunities.
- Apply problem-solving skills to math and beyond.
As a teacher who applies ideas from mindfulness, I may be the first to tell your teen that mistakes are okay in math and coding. Mistakes can be learned from! Confusion doesn’t have to be feared. This will give your teen confidence in math or coding and plant a seed that will bring benefits beyond math.
Hi, I’m Mike
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Calculus
- AP Computer Science A
- Geometry
- Precalculus
- AP Computer Science Principles
- Any Programming Class
Let’s talk!
Schedule a free consultation to discuss what the lessons will cover, what skills your teen will gain, and how soon you’ll see improvement.
In-person tutoring at no extra cost
There are many benefits to in-person lessons:
- Reading nonverbal communication
- Giving personalized attention and immediate feedback
- Avoiding ‘screen fatigue’
I serve Pasadena, South Pasadena, La Cañada, Glendale, San Marino, Arcadia, Altadena, Eagle Rock, and nearby areas.
Mindful tutoring helps:
- Reduce homework battles
- Raise your teen’s self-confidence
- Get your teen engaged
Why hire an independent tutor?
There are lots of websites and chains that offer tutoring. But do you have time to sort through dozens of resumes of inexperienced, underpaid tutors? Do you want a cookie-cutter approach?
With me, your teen gets personalized attention. I get to know them and learn what’s blocking their success. Because of my years of mindfulness training, I have a calming effect on my students. Teens like working with me! I bring years of training, study, and experience that get results.
Mike instantly knows what his student’s needs are and works patiently to elevate them. I’m seeing a difference in my son’s confidence and love for the subject.
— Wen, mother of a 7th grade student
What benefits does mindfulness provide to your teen?
Mindfulness is the art of attending to our sensations and thoughts with a gentle, concentrated focus. It has its roots in spiritual practices that have been around for thousands of years. It’s very useful for learning because it helps
- Reduce anxiety
- Lower self-judgment
- Encourage creative problem solving
These are all proven strategies for improving understanding in math and coding.
If you are looking for a tutor that is thorough, competent and thoughtful, Mike is the guy!
— Bonnie, mother of 10th grade student
Here’s why my approach works
I’m a lifelong student of the science of teaching or ’learning how to learn.’ I’ve found that mindfulness techniques are well-supported by research.
Mindfulness encourages your teen:
- To see mistakes as part of the process of learning and avoid self-judgment.
- To notice what they’re doing right.
- To use creativity in learning. For instance, I ask my students to rephrase what I’m teaching them in their own words.
When we look at the research, we find these practices are proven:
- Psychologist Carol Dweck’s studies on a growth mindset show how powerful it is to learn from your mistakes.
- Behavioral science studies show that behaviors that are rewarded are more likely to be repeated.
- Many studies show that being creative with a ‘paraphrasing strategy’ increases comprehension and retention.
Mike encourages and helps you to use problem-solving skills. As a tutee, you are an active participant in the lesson and not just an observer/listener.
— Erica, student
3 of Mike’s methods that work
1. Learn from your mistakes
Many students are stopped by a fear of making mistakes in math and coding. But mistakes are a necessary part of learning, as I’ve seen through mindful teaching as well as my study of learning. I’ll teach your student to see mistakes from a different angle: What can we learn from them that gets us closer to the solution?
I encourage a ‘growth mindset.’ That means to:
- Meet challenges head on
- Get up and keep going when you fall
- Persistent effort is more important than talent. I celebrate every small win with my students!
Mike has been a great tutor for my son. He's professional, knowledgeable, and patient.
— Mother of 10th grade student
2. Become a teacher to yourself
Most tutors see their job as explaining how to solve the problem. I certainly can explain problems to your student, but more than that, I help them become a teacher to themselves. They’ll gain the skills to solve problems on their own without me, like when they’re taking a test. I tell my students:
- Practice becoming a teacher for others. Explain the problem to me or other students. This is a powerful way to build confidence in their knowledge. Providing a calm, nonjudgmental atmosphere encourages my students to try this out.
- Use ‘spaced repetition,’ which is reviewing key information at regular intervals. I help my students make flashcards to do this.
Mike continually challenges and encourages my daughter to really understand the material at a deep level, not surface level.
— Audrey, mother of 9th grade student
3. Problem-Solving Mode
Students often feel tripped up by problems that look unfamiliar. I give my students the tools to shift into Problem-Solving Mode — instead of thinking of math and programming problems as memorization, your teen will start thinking of them as puzzles to be cracked.
Here are some of the techniques to get into Problem-Solving Mode:
- First identify what looks familiar.
- Solve a simpler problem before going on to the whole solution.
- Be bold. Experiment and get things wrong at first.
Mike understands how to teach young minds and focuses on learning by discovery rather than a formulaic approach to problem solving. My son has made tremendous progress in a short amount of time.
— Badri, father of 8th grade student
If this approach sounds good to you, contact me today for a free consultation.