Science Tutors
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Reviews of tutors for:
April 2006
AP Biology review session/tutor needed
10th grader would like a couple of review sessions before the AP Biology test.
Evenings or weekends.
If you are looking for a Biology Tutor, you should get in
touch with Paul Osborne (Paul The Tutor). His
undergraduate degree is in Biology, he has a masters in
education from Harvard, and he has been tutoring for 15
years. You can learn more about him on his website at
www.paulthetutor.com
You can send him an email at paulthetutor[at]paulthetutor.com
or give him a call at (510) 301-5302.
Marta
Chemistry Tutors
Sep 13 2009
I highly recommend Steve Brand. Steve tutored both of my
children in AP Chemistry over the last several years with
excellent results. He is a former BHS teacher who knows
the curriculum and he was able to quickly see where my
kids needed additional help. More importantly, as an
experienced teacher, he knew how to approach the material
in a way that was understandable and even interesting. He
clearly knows and loves the subject matter and brings real
enthusiasm to his teaching. He is also well organized and
kind. He can be reached at stephenbrand@comcast.net
Margaret
July 2008
Chemistry tutor: I highly recommend Steve Brand. He is a
retired Berkeley high chemistry teacher, so he knows the
program and teachers there. We hired him for 5 sessions at
the end of the year. He was excellent at helping our son
look at his returned labs and tests to see how the answers
could have been more complete. In covering upcoming
materials for tests he would say ''this is what the teacher
will be looking for in your answer''. He was patient and
positive. His contact information is
stephenbrand at comcast.net, 415-456-4243.
M
Nov 2007
Can anyone recommend a tutor for chemistry? My child is
failing in her basic chem (not AP) class at BHS. Need
someone ASAP at a reasonable rate if possible.
Deborah
I would recommend Rosie Ueng at 649-3039 and Classroom
Matters in Berkeley 540-8646.
Karen
Oct 2006
My son is a junior at BHS and is struggling with
chemistry. I am looking for a chem tutor who can help once
a week. We live in Berkeley.
Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated
My son is being tutored by Steve Brand, a wonderful and
well-known chemistry teacher who taught for many years at
Berkeley High. He is not just a homework help kind of tutor
(though he could do that, too), but a true teacher, filled
with knowledge and enthusiasm. He can teach all kinds of
students, either ones who are struggling or the AP variety.
His number is 415-456-4243. He's here in the East Bay
tutoring several times a week.
happy with tutor
Fortunately ,I heard about Classroom Matters through
another family when our daughter entered her Sophomore
year at BHS. She was struggling to organize her time and
prioritize subjects in advance of testing. I arranged to
have her meet once a week for English, Biology and Spanish
help and a review of what was due, when and how much more
studying needed to happen. She incorporated the tutoring
and study skills into her routine with impressive results
and I was incredibly relieved to have her look forward to
sharing her concerns regularly with her tutor and getting
the help she needed. In her junior year she needed
additional tutoring for Math Analysis, Chemistry and the
SAT 2s. Her GPA soared as a result of her tutoring at
Classroom Matters.
Signed: Karen
Sept 2006
we are seeking a tutor in Chemistry to assist my son on a
consistent basis per week during the BHS academic year
ematabele
If you are looking for a chemistry tutor, you ought to get
in touch with Paul Osborne (Paul The Tutor). He does some
really good work with a lot of students, and has a masters
in education from Harvard. He has his website at
www.paulthetutor.com and you can send him an email through
the website. You can also reach him by phone at (510) 301-
5302. He is quite expensive, though I believe he has
other tutors who work for him who are less expensive.
I was so impressed at this tutor's mastery of the subject of
chemisty as well as her ability to relate to teenagers and
to make the learning up-beat. She is a Cal graduate student
and has worked for Ivy West. Her name is Lena and her
number is 205-8675. She also tutors in math.
Mary
Aug 10 2006
I am highly recommending Andrew Gordon Kirsch, a current
UCLA student, as an excellent Chemistry tutor. We hired him
to help with summer Chem. He is practical and patient
providing positive reinforcement all along the way. He is
courteous and reliable. He motivates. My daughter passed
the class with flying colors. He will be around until late
Sept. before he leaves for school. You can reach Andrew
at: AndrewTheTutor[at]yahoo.com 510-526-7371
Candi
July 2006
Paul Osborne, Paul The Tutor, is doing his School
Readiness classes again this August. I have seen these
classes do a wonderful job of getting students ready for
math and science classes. Courses last one week, and he
does a different course for each math level from pre-
algebra to algebra 2 and for chemistry. He should have
information about these classes on his website
www.paulthetutor.com
You can also reach him by email at
paulthetutor[at]paulthetutor.com or by phone at 510.301.5302
Marta
March 2006
I am currently looking for a chemistry tutor for my 14 yr old
son who is enrolled at BHS. He has fallen behind and we are
looking for someone to help him catch-up and perhaps continue
through out the balance of the school year.
Denise
I highly recommend Paul D. Osborne. He can be reached at (510)
301-5302. His website is www.paulthetutor.com and his work
email is paulthetutor[at]post.harvard.edu.
anon
Feb 2006
Can anyone recommend a good Chemistry tutor for a BHS
freshman who's in over his head with Advanced Chemistry?
anon
Both of my kids took AP Chemistry at Berkeley High, and both eventually
needed the assistance of a private tutor to get through the class. My son
had a wonderful tutor last year named Steve Brand -- I believe Mr. Brand
taught AP and Advanced Chemistry at BHS for years before he retired. His
phone number is 415-819-4243 (cell). My daughter had a tutor named Rosie
whom she loved, but unfortunately this was two years ago and I no longer
have her phone number.
Jessica Seaton
I am a teacher, and I have seen Paul Osborne, Paul The
Tutor, do excellent work as a chemistry tutor. He helps
students understand chemistry hollistically as opposed to
giving them formulas to memorize. The students I have
referred to him all say they understand more thanks to his
help, and their grades go up accordingly.
You can see more about what he does at his website, which
is www.paulthetutor.com
His phone number is (510) 301-5302
Good Luck
Concerned Teacher
Jan 06 2006
Warner Freeman, former King Middle School Science Dept. Chair, was a fantastic
tutor for my daughter in science and chemistry. He was able to get her excited
about learning and to answer her questions by explaining them within a
conceptual framework so that she retained the material because it became
meaningful to her life. He gave her a strong foundaton. He is particularly
interested in helping students overcome their own insecurities about their ability
to master science and other subjects. He relates to young people in a way that
makes them excited about learning. Reasonable rates. His phone is 524-0452.
pauline
Feb. 2004
AP CHEMISTRY TUTOR
STEVE BRAND
My daughter began AP Chemistry at El Cerrito High School this fall and
it soon became apparent that she was not going to do well in this
rigorous class without help. In my desperate search for a chemistry
tutor, I found Steve Brand, in the Parents of Teen Newsletter. Steve
Brand is a recently retired AP Chemistry teacher from Berkeley High
School with 30 years of experience. He is an incredible tutor. With so
much material to cover in ECHS's block schedule, it is almost too much
to master for their weekly tests. Each week, Steve would meet with my
daughter, he would answer all her questions and then point out the
chapter's key concepts and help her understand how these concepts
relate. Steve brought models to help explain some of the more difficult
concepts. Even without models, Steve had the ability to make the subject
concrete and accessible. Building confidence was an added benefit for
which I am grateful. My daughter's success in AP Chemistry is largely
due to Steve's help.
Steve Brand can be reached at: stephenbrand AT comcast.net
Irene
August 2003
Steve Brand is the most phenomenal teacher my son has ever
experienced. Mr. Brand presents a difficult subject in an
accessible and enjoyable (sometimes even hilarious) way.
My son is not greatly interested in scientific matters, but
talked frequently about topics presented in chemistry class
during the year he took AP chem from Mr. Brand. He also
got a 5 on the AP exam, something I'm sure wouldn't have
happened without Mr. Brand's guidance and encouragement.
I can't imagine a better chemistry tutor (or stand-up
comedy coach, for that matter). I believe contact
information is available from the archives.
stephenbrand AT comcast.net
impressed BHS parent
My son got some tutoring for AP Chem from Paul Osborne last year
- (510) 301-5302. We started too late in the year (April) for it to make
a huge difference, but it did help some, and they got along well. My son
was feeling really overwhelmed--once you get a bit hehind, it gets
harder and harder to catch up. The tutoring helped him understand some
of the concepts he'd missed, so he could move on. I wished we'd started
sooner.
Linda (11/99)
This past spring we used a tutor named Paul Osborne to help our son with
Chemistry. Our son (a sophomore) liked him quite a bit, and said he
explained things well. I know he tutors math in addition to science, and
he seems to work with quite an age range--elementary through high
school. We pulled him in late in the year, when chemistry suddenly got
MUCH harder; in retrospect, I wished I had heeded the trouble-signs
earlier, and gotten him some help in February, instead of April! He came
to our home. You can reach him at (510) 301-5302.
Linda (7/99)
Oct 2009: Tutor for both Physics and Calculus
My son is taking Physics and Calculus this year and is having a really
hard time keeping up. He is usually a very good student, but this
year has just been very difficult for him. Does anyone have recent
experience with a tutor who is very ''professional'' and can teach both
subjects?
Concerned parent
Lizette Greybe (not sure of the spelling!) teaches both Calculus and
Physics. She started helping our son with Calculus this year, but is
now also doing Physics with him. She is excellent! Her number is
510-338-0103.
Had the same experience
My son, a senior in high school, loves the Bay Area Tutoring Center on
Shattuck and Rose. http://www.bayareatutoringcenters.com/ Currently
he is being tutored in physics and AP Stats. In previous years he has
gone for Honors English, chemistry, and pre-calculus. He speaks
highly of all of the tutors, and has referred many of his classmates
there. I am a teacher myself, and have been really happy with his
experience there.
Happy with Bay Area Tutoring Center
We used Connexion Tutoring last year for my son. He only needed a
tutor for calculus but they also had tutors for physics. I don't know
if Patrick McKenna is still available but he was excellent, patient,
great at explaining, helped raised my son's grade from a C to an A. I
think he could also tutor physics. The entire Connexion Tutoring
operation was really efficient and we received a session report each
week via email, something we had never had from a tutor before. Their
website is http://connexiontutoring.com
chiliconmom
Chat Hull,
Astronomy Department,
UC Berkeley
chat.hull@gmail.com
He's amazing! He's a former high school teacher, has great rapport
with teens, makes good use of the hour, and is encouraging and clear
in his explanations. We used him as a physics tutor (AP Physics at
BHS for my daughter after she got behind 2nd Semester and stopped
understanding what was taught) -- he brought her up to speed in no
time! I'm sure he can also tutor calculus. He came to our house in
North Berkeley but was willing to meet at a coffee shop or wherever
was convenient for us.
Mom of BHS Grad who did well on AP Exam
Paul Gee did an excellent job tutoring my daughter in Calculus and
Physics. He was very good at explaining the material and was very
patient in his approach. He encouraged my daughter to ask lots of
questions and motivated her to work hard on understanding the
concepts. I found it particularly helpful that he previewed upcoming
topics for my daughter so that she was able to follow the teacher's
lectures more easily. My daughter would not have done as well without
his help. You can reach Paul at 510-502-8465. Good luck!
Thankful Mom
My child had the opportunity to work with a great tutor, Karen Street,
who helped him to catch up and pass his AP Physics class. We were
already into the second semester when we discovered that he had fallen
behind and was receiving failing grades. She worked with him weekly to
help him catch up with late homework, exams and extra credit projects.
She evaluated his situation and developed a plan that helped him
progress as quickly as possible with flexibility and lots of
encouragement built in. My son, in turn, became motivated to catch up,
learn and pass his class. I highly recommend Karen, who is also a
former Berkeley High physics teacher. Her email:
karen_street@sbcglobal.net
Pam
Dec 2006
AP Physics tutor needed (now) that knows the Berkeley High
course. BPN has only 1 listing so I need more referrals.
Thank you
If you are looking for a great physics tutor, you should
get in touch with Paul Osborne, ''Paul The Tutor''. He has
a Bachelor of Science from U.C. Santa Barbara, a Master of
Education from Harvard, and has been tutoring for years.
I am a teacher, and I have seen him do some great work
with students of every level. Try giving him a call at
(510) 301-5302 or check out his website at
www.paulthetutor.com which you can also use to send him an
e-mail
anon
August 2006
My daughter needed extensive help to understand her college physics
course. She had
an excellent tutor, Warner Freeman, who broke the material down to her
in a simplified
fashion step by step so that she was able to grasp the concepts and
make them her
own in a way she never understood them in class. The tutor is a former
Berkeley
science teacher. Reasonable rates, 524-0452
pauline
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Last updated: Nov 20, 2009
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