Tash

Certified Tutor

I am a physicist for the United States Army. I've earned a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education from University of Hawaii Manoa for which I am dual certified as a highly qualified teacher with the department of education in both science and mathematics. I've earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of California Berkeley, I have finished all of the course requirements for a masters in physics at the University of Hawaii Manoa. I will be taking the qualifying exam and graduating in November. I have taught advanced high school physics, mathematics, and general middle school science at Myron B. Thompson Academy, an online charter school in Hawaii for 12 years. I have been at the forefront of online teaching and curriculum development in STEM fields for the last six years. I am the lead teacher in developing an entire STEM institute within the online academy that I currently work for. This institute includes a battery of courses in physics, advanced mathematics, computer science, and electricity/electronics. I have over 10 years of teaching experience in all fields of mathematics and science ranging from 6th grade to Civil Engineering 271 at the Community College level. I posses a vast knowledge of STEM standards and I remain current with the evolving concepts, principles and methodologies of STEM outreach.

My passion is working directly with students via synchronous, and asynchronous virtual interactions. My experience includes 6 years of online teaching. The courses that I've taught in a virtual environment include honors physics, chemistry, earth science, physical science, life sciences, algebra 1 and 2, computer programming, and various other STEM courses. I am an expert in Canvas, Illuminate, Black Board, Moodle, Wimba, WebX, Corsera, Big Blue Button, and virtually all other online learning management systems and interaction suites. I have mastered programs like Python, Linux, the Microsoft Office Suite, multiple spreadsheet programs, the full Adobe suite (including Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, etc), and I have the ability to learn new programs and software urgently and efficiently. I have passed both the Science and Math Praxis tests, and even scored within the top 15% of anyone who has previously taken these tests. Two years ago I was the lead developer of a small team of teachers that design a Smart Grid curriculum for a Department of Energy Grant. This curriculum was published in June 2013, and is nationally available to universities and programs of higher education. I also have experience in conducting research as I've published a scientific article on Crystallographic Texturing of Rhenium metals through my work at Loyola Marymount University.

One of the strongest skill sets is my ability to motivate and communicate with students, parents and administration. I can optimize teaching sessions to be efficient, effective, and informative, by providing clear and logical communication. Throughout the entirety of my professional career I have successfully cared for multiple projects with a plethora of requirements, and deadlines to the utmost satisfaction of my employers. I have done so utilizing strong organizational and planning skills to assist my students in their achievements. I have facilitated multiple winning teams to the Hawaii State Science Olympiad. As a testament to my abilities with computers I have taught courses on Python programming and Linux command language interface. I have written multiple textbooks in the fields of physics and mathematics currently being used in federal and state education programs. My experience as an online teacher has put me as a cut above the rest when it comes to the use of online applications. I am dedicated to the mission of the organization that I work for as I am the first to come to work and the last to leave. I am dedicated to the advancement of my students and will invest the time to discover ways to optimize my students learning.