Personal Description:

Hi! My name is Jade and I am a second-year PhD student in astrophysics currently studying at Brown University. Before that, I completed my Bachelor of Science (physics major) at McGill University in 2022, and even before that, I attended Champlain College, where I graduated with a DEC in pure and applied sciences in 2019.

Tutoring Experience:

I have several years of experience tutoring both as a private tutor to friends and family, as well as a contracted tutor with School Success (where I have logged over 800 hours of tutoring in the past three years). I also became a Teaching Assistant at my university last year, which gave me the opportunity to give higher level lessons in physics. I specialize in teaching high school math and physics (in particular, secondary 3-4-5) and am especially comfortable with the Quebec schooling system.

Last summer, I gave a 10-week introductory Python (programming) course for employees at the company I was interning at. I kept all the slides, exercises, and solutions I prepared over the course of the summer. I use Python on a daily basis, and although it isn't part of standard high school curriculums, I would be more than happy to teach it to a willing student!

I am fluent in both French and English and am comfortable giving lessons in either language!

Tutoring Approach:

My approach emphasizes a balance of theory and practice. A tutoring session with me usually goes like this:

- During the first half of the lesson, the student and I go over the material (equations, concepts, vocabulary, etc.); I explain the material and answer any questions -- this is the theory portion.
- Then, the student and I solve a few problems together to get a feel for how to use the equations, which equations to use, how to start a problem, and so on.
- Finally, during the last portion, the student is encouraged to work on a few similar problems alone, and to only refer to me if they are completely stuck. This is the practice portion, and although it may sound boring, I promise that the best way to master math and physics is to do a bunch of exercices by yourself and challenge yourself as much as possible!

Of course, this lesson plan varies on a case-by-case basis, but the central idea is that theory and practice in combination are essential for a good understanding of math and physics, and I try to include a good mix of both.

Lessons with me are held online via Zoom, and the whiteboard feature is used to allow both the student and I to write and draw. I save the whiteboard after each lesson and email it as a PDF to students and parents to make sure the material we covered is always available to students for easy reference. In the same email, I write a short summary of what was done during the lesson, and, if applicable, what the student should do to prepare for our next lesson (e.g. extra exercises to work on).

Students are expected to be prepared: bring your textbook, notebook, homework, pencils, calculator, and anything else you need for the lesson. If you would like to work on specific homework exercises, make sure to scan them or photograph them ahead of time!