Friendly and Affirming Online and In-Person Physics Tutoring

Especially for students who are capable, motivated, and feeling like physics is impossible to understand.

Physics is often taught as speed, memorization, and plugging numbers into formulas.

For some students - especially students who are thoughtful, creative, visual, analytical, neurodivergent, or used to doing well in school otherwise - that approach can make physics feel frustrating in a way that doesn’t match their actual ability.

I know that experience personally.

As a physicist and educator, I care less about making students work faster and more about helping them build a mental model of what’s happening and develop systems that work with their brain instead of against it.

My tutoring focuses on:

• Turning equations into visual and intuitive ideas

• Connecting concepts before memorizing procedures

• Breaking large problems into manageable steps

• Reducing overwhelm and improving confidence

• Supporting executive function around studying and assignments

• Helping students explain concepts in their own words

• Making room for questions without judgment

This is a good fit for students who:

• understand ideas but struggle to show it on tests

• do well in some classes but feel unexpectedly stuck in physics

• overthink problems or don’t know where to start

• feel “smart but bad at physics”

• learn better through examples, visuals, patterns, or discussion

• have ADHD, autism, twice-exceptional (2e), learning differences - or simply feel underserved by traditional instruction

Areas of Support - Content Covered

• High school physics (regular, honors, AP)

• Introductory college physics

• Mechanics and kinematics

• Forces and Newton’s Laws

• Energy and momentum

• Waves and oscillations

• Electricity and magnetism

• Circuits

• Thermodynamics

• Problem solving and exam preparation

• Lab reports and conceptual understanding

• Study skills for quantitative courses

• Can also support general STEM, engineering coursework

What Sessions Look Like

Every session is adapted to the student’s needs, but may include:

• Breaking complex concepts into intuitive models

• Working through homework and practice problems

• Building problem-solving frameworks instead of memorization

• Identifying recurring mistakes and patterns

• Developing study strategies for independent success

I emphasize asking questions, experimenting with ideas, and learning why a solution works. Physics is all around us - it’s up to us to notice it!