We wanted to give you some background about our tutoring to let you know what you might need, and answer questions that you might already have.
1. How do you run online tutoring?
The class link will be sent out the link via Tutor Cruncher and it will be used for all lessons. Notes can be downloaded at the end of the lesson or teachers can send them to you if requested.
We typically use Pencilspaces/Zoom and a whiteboard program like Bitpaper, Annotate, or PDF. The Bitpaper whiteboards are permanent so students can go back to their notes from the class anytime.
2. What do you need before the first session?
To make the best use of time, students should provide any sample work to the tutor before the first session. That can include material that they are currently working on, grades, interesting items or topics. Also, students who are receiving test prep, math, or language arts help should provide test results or take a pre-assessment before the first lesson. Upload the materials to the folder in TutorCruncher, or send it to us at support@tampabaytestprep.com.
Check out our list of pre-assessments here.
3. If I need to cancel a tutoring session, how soon before a lesson do I have to notify you?
As a courtesy to the tutor and other students who are looking for lessons, we ask that you notify us of any cancellations 48 hours in advance. There is no charge for cancellations 48 hours in advance. You can go into your lesson reminder email from Tutorcruncher, click on the lesson, and cancel it. We appreciate this. If you find out about an event or have an emergency that is less than 24 hours in advance, please notify us as soon as possible. If this is a one-on-one class, we will try to make these up, but there is a possibility that the teacher may be booked and unable to make up the lesson.
Teachers will wait 15 minutes for a student to show up and then they will exit the lesson. There will be a charge for lessons where students do not show up.
Please notify us of vacations or other events that are coming up, preferably three or more days in advance.
Additionally, if you have to cancel a session frequently, we will kindly ask that switch your session to a different time during the week, so that we will not have to charge you for missing the lesson. Alternatively, we can put you on a flex schedule. With a flex schedule you are not locked down to a time, but let us know the week of tutoring what works best for you and we will do our best to accommodate you.
4. How do you charge for tutoring?
We use TutorCruncher to send out our emails and invoices. For every lesson, you will get a lesson and an invoice. Before the lesson, we will ask you to enter your credit card information into our secure payment portal run by Tutor Cruncher and Stripe. Your payment will be charged after the lesson has been entered. We can also set up a prepayment and that will give you credit that will then be applied to a set number of lessons.
5. Do you record lessons? Will we be able to see the notes?
Yes, we may record lessons. Just let us know if you would like the lesson recorded and we will send you a link after the lesson. Also, the PDF download may be available to the student at the end of the lesson so the student can go back and see what we wrote during the lesson.
6. Are the lessons like a lecture or are they interactive?
Yes, our lessons are very interactive. We ask that students participate in the lessons by showing work online, revisiting the steps, and answering or asking questions. We want to make sure that students leave with a much better understanding of the material than when the lesson started.
7. Are lessons just for homework or can my student use them for acceleration?
Lessons are for both. First and foremost we want students confident in their course material. However, as they build confidence and understanding, we seek to challenge them with more difficult material, even beyond their current level. When they are ready, we offer challenging problems in math at the contest level and in preparation for college. We also offer SAT and ACT math classes.
8. Do you offer homework for my student?
Yes, we give homework as requested. As part of working with us, your student will have access to IXL.com for FREE for both Math and Language Arts. This password will be provided at the first session. We encourage the student to use it as much as possible to improve their basic facts. If they are ready for some more advanced material or need different types of problems, then we assign problem sets, worksheets, or textbook work depending on their needs.
9. What materials should I have for online tutoring?
We recommend that you have an notebook and paper, ipad, a touch screen device, or a writing tablet (like the Wacom Intuos) so that students can participate during class and write on the board. Students should also have a good microphone or a quiet room for their lessons so teachers can hear what the students are saying. We also recommend making sure that you have a good Internet connection for our lessons.
10. What are your terms and conditions?
Here are our Terms and Conditions.
11. What expertise do your tutors have?
Our teachers are either credentialed teachers, have a degree in math or science, or have pursued a degree in math or science. We aim to give you the teacher that best fits your needs, so by filling out our contact form we will set up a consultation call so we can better understand your needs.
Here’s some brief information about our tutors:
Ingrid Moats
Ingrid has a BA in mathematics from UC Berkeley, an M.Ed from Holy Names University, and is certified in Mathematics at the middle school and high school levels (California, Florida). Ingrid has over 18 years of tutoring and teaching.
Daniel McKemy
He teaches our Competition Classes for grades 1-4 and Singapore Math Method Classes. He also teaches a fun Escape Room Math Class.
Georgia Tallman
She specializes in Elementary Education and teaches our Singapore Math Method Classes for grades 1-4, and Competition Math for grades 1 and 2.
Dr. Pingnan Shi
He has a Ph.D. in Engineering and has spent many years teaching high school math and tutoring privately. He teaches our competition math and one-on-ones.
Traci Lowy
Traci graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Northern Arizona University with a Master’s in Elementary Education. She has 10 years of teaching experience in 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade. She has taught in Arizona and in California.
Allison Jones
She double majored in Mathematics and Physics and teaches math competition-level classes for grades 5 through 8, as well as one-on-ones for Singapore Math Methods and Competition Math. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
Raymond Moats
Raymond obtained a perfect score on his ACT. He teaches ACT science and ACT and SAT mathematics to students who score above a 30 on the ACT or a 700 on SAT Math and how to boost their scores.
Megan Galla
Megan has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Certification in Secondary Education and a Master of Science in Pure Mathematics. She currently teaches at a college in Ohio.
Derek Tsang
He has a BA in math from the University of Chicago and seven years of experience tutoring math. He teaches Competition Math for grades 5-6.
Kaya Chua
Kaya Chua is a proud Stanford alumna with a degree in mathematics. She has a decade of experience tutoring math at all levels, including coaching students for the AMC and AIME competitions.
To learn more about us, please visit this link: https://linktr.ee/tampabaytestprep