Private Math Tutoring • Grades 7-12
Algebra • Geometry • Trigonometry • Precalculus • Calculus
This collection of hundreds of parent and student testimonials along with prominent named endorsements is a tribute to all my tutoring students over the decades. It’s about the intellectual journeys we have taken together, your love for learning, your hard work and perseverance, and your achievement of educational excellence. Congratulations to every one of you; approbation with distinction and well done!
Dr. George
Harvard Ph.D.
MIT B.S.
Perdocere Inc.
phone: 833-MATH-833
Prominent Endorsements
✏️ From:
Marlyn E. McGrath
Director of Admissions
Harvard University
“I think George is not merely a tutor – he is a real educator. He knows that what helps students perform well on tests is the same as what makes them good students. A solid academic foundation pays dividends throughout schooling and careers, and George never loses sight of that in his work.”
✏️ From:
Prof. William A. Goddard III
California Institute of Technology
(Caltech)
“I have known George for decades. He has a very clear and dramatic effect enabling students to think and rise to their full potential. George’s influence on so many lives has had significant impact, and I greatly admire him for doing this.”
Parent and Student Testimonials
✏️ “I missed a year and a half of school and George has been very helpful in getting me caught up in math.”
✏️ “In a word, George is wonderful! Highly experienced in all branches of mathematics, he also is an exceptionally nice person who cares about his students. Along with solving the problems du jour, he has imparted life lessons about setting goals, working hard, and planning for the future. After working with George for six years, my son will graduate high school with an A in Honors Math and head off to be a math major in college. Back in seventh grade, I wasn’t sure how this was all going to play out. I owe a huge thanks to George for all he’s done for my son. I am so glad I made the call.”
✏️ “With George SAT preparation is not just about the test. It’s also about confidence, George is capable of getting a great effort from the student and perfection becomes an attainable goal. When the student aims for 800 in the SAT with George even a score of 780 becomes a disappointment. George has been a godsend in that respect.” (800 SAT Math)
✏️ “My son is a freshman in honors geometry – a really tough course!! George has been instrumental in explaining the concepts, teaching him how to solve the theorems and encouraging him throughout the year. Without this assistance – this year would have been much tougher. The insight into my son’s learning style and his clear and thorough explanations of each concept have given my son the confidence to tackle this vigorous course. He looks forward to meeting with George and doing his math.”
✏️ “George is the best math teacher I have ever had. Nearly all of my math teachers in the past either just read the textbook to the class or followed a set of curriculum notes so closely that all you had to do was memorize then regurgitate exactly what you just learned to get an A. In the past, math class was no less than a memory game where each problem only had one solution which was shown by the teacher. George does not follow a textbook and he can create a lesson around a single problem. He shows many solutions to the simplest of problems and show how to connect every topic to each other, so I can fully understand each aspect of the topic we are focusing on.” (perfect score, freshman college math placement)
✏️ “You are the best!”
✏️ “George is a good teacher because – he makes me think the math out, he is always prepared for what I need to learn, thinks of problems to illustrate a math concept on the spot, drills me on what I do not know, makes me tell him how I arrived at the answer, understands me and how I learn, focuses and encourages me, talks to me.”
✏️ “As parents, we all know how different our children are – and this certainly translates to learning styles. George has had to adapt to three very different types of learners over that last seven or eight years. He has successfully navigated one child through a string of 800s… brought another near that coveted goal, thus ensuring his place at the college of that child’s choice (thank goodness!!)… and now has the unenviable task of guiding our daughter through the shoals of high school mathematics and preparation for the SAT. All three of our children have enjoyed working with George; he has related to each one on a very personal level and he has adjusted his teaching style to match how they learn. He is always encouraging and has instilled in all of them the ability to ask questions and explore the whys and wherefores rather than just the answers. At the same time, however, George sets the bar high for each one of them and pushes them to achieve. Not only have they and will they be accountable to Mom and Dad – they are also accountable to George – and they seem to be more concerned about the latter rather than the former (which is fine with us). George has an extraordinary gift for teaching and for instilling a love of learning in his students. He is insistent that fundamentals be strong and he works those so that his students are equipped for higher tasks. On child ended up majoring in math in college and is now doing sophisticated quantitative analysis in an investment firm; another is doing a wonderful job navigating econometrics. We can only hope that our last one can achieve this success. With George on our side we think that this can be achieved. We heartily recommend George to all.”
✏️ “George has been more than a math tutor for me. He has not only taught me everything I need to know to succeed in math class and on the SAT, he has also become a best friend during the process.”
✏️ “Who would have thought that my son would become a curve breaker! Through the years George has instilled a great store of fundamental mathematical knowledge. On this foundation our son was able to grab Calculus by the horns and completely master it.”
✏️ “George, over the past few months, we have been amazed at the progress you have made with our daughter. While the improvement in her ‘trial run’ SAT scores has been significant, of equal note has been the change in the way she now approaches math problems: she thinks differently! Your ability to explain the processes behind the formulae, and the way that you teach to each student’s strengths, is a thing of beauty… For a 17 year old to stay focused on math over and entire summer is a testament to your ability to engage someone’s imagination and intellect. I am grateful for all of the encouragement and focus you have provided. And, while I look forward to much improved success in our daughter’s upcoming SAT scores as a direct outcome of your work, I also appreciate the confidence you have helped her build over the summer. She is clearly far more prepared for the tests ahead than she was in early June. My only regret? We didn’t do this sooner.”
✏️ “During junior year, Perdocere helped me prepare for several standardized tests in both math and science. Perdocere was distinctly more effective than the other tutoring organizations I tried. With Perdocere’s help, I earned a 740 on the math portion of the SAT I, a 760 on the SAT II Physics, and a 5 on the AP Physics B exam. George helped focus my hard work and succeed where I had to.”
✏️ “Throughout the SAT math class, George has made all the questions that are considered hard seem so easy. He has also shown me different ways to come up with an answer for each question. This has caused my math grades to improve!”
✏️ “George is a wonderful tutor that has made a significant impact on my daughters learning. He discovered her weaknesses and has worked tirelessly with her to fill in the gaps in her learning and prepare her for the SAT. He cares deeply about his students and communicates weekly with me on her progress. George is like no other!!”
✏️ “Over the last two years, week after week, month after month, George sits patiently with our son doing what George does best: teaching thoroughly. Being able to communicate with a teenager so he understands math inside and out is a gift, George has that gift.”
✏️ “George was a great teacher to have while I was preparing for the SAT. He really took the time to get to know what my strengths and weaknesses were, how I worked under test conditions, how I approached problems, etc. Just after one session he knew how to guide me and helped me set realistic but challenging goals. George made sure that I had clear and basic foundations for solving problems and then worked with me step by step until everything was clear and I was confident about how to handle similar problems. His teaching not only helped me through the SAT but has also followed through into my everyday school work. His enthusiasm and dedication is really meaningful and one thing for sure is that George knows how to teach.” (280 point SAT math increase)
✏️ “George has been a helpful, effective tutor whom I would recommend to most anyone. He quickly shows you everything there is to know about SAT math and installs it into your memory. Furthermore he is a nice guy who genuinely wants you to improve.”
✏️ “Our daughter was transferred to Dover-Sherborn High School as a sophomore last year. We thought she needed some math guidance before taking the ACT/SAT, and discovered Perdocere Math Tutoring while searching online. George turned out to be the best discovery we made. His brilliance, patience, and structured tutoring style made our daughter feel at ease with the fundamental concepts of math. Needless to say, George’s guidance was reflected by an outstanding score last month. For math tutoring, George should be your first and final contact.”
✏️ “In preparing for the SAT, George helped me dissect each problem into its basic parts. There is no better preparation for the Math SAT than with George.”
✏️ “George has made such a big difference for our child – academically and personally.”
✏️ “George plainly has a mastery of math and science that runs both broad and deep, and he is very, very good at communicating with both students and parents in clear English pitched to their level of scientific understanding, wherever that may be. He clearly cares about his students, and we feel very confident that he is happy to help any way he can.”
✏️ “George is the best teacher I ever had.” (780 Math Level IIC, A in Level 1 Precalculus)
✏️ “George works miracles! When I first started with George, I took a practice SAT and sadly got a 550. George explained that he was going to rebuild my math knowledge and rewire how I looked at math problems. Over the course of the summer and fall, George continued to work with me and with his careful instruction, guidance, and support I was able to get a 780 on the real SAT. George taught me to think differently and to approach math problems in creative ways. George pushed me to be the best student I could be, but never pushed me in a way that was counterproductive. Though I was not confident at the start, George’s never ending encouragement and faith in me allowed me to finally recognize my full potential in the SAT and in my math classes at school. I can’t thank George enough!” (780 Math SAT)
✏️ “George has helped my daughter realize that she really could understand math. Her improved test scores inspired her to work harder, not just in math, but also in all her classes. Her confidence and ambition both grew as she realized that she could master a difficult topic. George has the gifts of a good translator and teacher, he listens extremely well and then uses words and descriptions that can help students decipher difficult concepts. George’s approach to learning, studying, and preparing are completely transferable across many subjects.”
✏️ “George is a very sound investment for parents seeking to help a struggling student. George genuinely cares about the teaching aspect of education and his concerns are focused on ensuring the student understands each concept thoroughly. He recognizes that while grades are the formal measurement of results, just as important is the student’s confidence level and comfort with the subject matter. As a consequence, our daughter’s grade rose from a C- to an A- in two months, but equally satisfying is seeing her growing confidence in herself and her abilities.”
✏️ “I can always rely on George to help me understand a particularly challenging concept in math.”
✏️ “George makes sure his students believe in themselves and their abilities, thus setting the stage for academic success. He also takes the time to emphasize that it isn’t inspiration that creates success, it is perspiration. It is the mantra that is followed as he prepares students for the SAT. And there is success; both of our sons have done extremely well on both the SAT and SAT Subject Tests – and by extremely well, we mean a consistent pattern of scores at or just below 800.”
✏️ “Over the past three years, George has become the family’s de facto math and science consiliari. He has not only guided our first son to a string of 800’s but instilled in him a sense of academic confidence and curiosity that will serve him well in college. He also started down the academic path with our second son this year – a very different learner than the first – yet he has struck the appropriate chords with him. George is a born teacher. He is enthusiastic about his subjects, explains and teaches in a clear and logical manner, and patiently drives the learning process. We can always count on George and will continue to rely on him in the future.”
✏️ “Thanks to George I not only feel more confident in math, but I also feel like I am receiving a strong education from someone who is dedicated to helping people learn. Every lesson is based on what I need, and he never disappoints. His approach to math is both fun and engaging. He helps me get the results I want without substituting memorization for learning.”
✏️ “George is very involved in making sure our son is studying the material he needs to succeed and getting a clear understanding of what is expected of him. George takes time each week to prepare for our son as an individual. Our son enjoys the way George teaches him; it’s a great mix of teaching and really caring about the student. We know George was the right choice, our son went from failing to passing with an A.”
✏️ “SAT, PreCalculus, Mid Year Exams – not something you want to think about, especially not all three and trying to cram all of them in less than five months. Before George I can say that to do all this and do well would be impossible; I had no confidence in myself. Finding George and getting tutored by him has been one of the best decisions my family made as he turned something that seemed hopeless to something achievable. As a student, I know that schools have a set curriculum where their goal is to teach everything they need in one school year, but sadly in doing so they rush; they teach their students to solve things a certain way with the no explanation of why or how they got there. So before George I was basically a robot taught to memorize everything with the explanation of ‘because that’s just what you do’. George, on the other hand taught me the basics, teaching how and why things worked, what is really going on in a formula or an equation. He taught me each and every bits and pieces of math to help understand why things are the way they are. I now understand math more that I have ever did. Not only that but after really understanding something he goes above that to where he introduces more complex things to keep the mind going, building on the strong foundation that he has created. This showed its work on the SAT and in school. The SAT (Math) is all about understanding and thinking skills; George helped me to improve my thinking skills and understand math problems. At the same time he help me to easily do things in school with his teaching; things that seemed difficult before are now much easier to where now I can see how it works, identifying the building blocks of math to help me solve the equation. George is the best tutor and teacher I have ever had in my life; he has a superior understanding of math and he used it to help me get high scores on the SAT and high grades in school. He has proven to me that he loves his job, to help and see his students succeed, using every bit of time productively, encouraging his students that they can succeed with his teachings and hard work. George has done so much to help me succeed in school and on the SAT. I could not have asked for a better tutor. Now it is time for SAT II, where I am certain that George will help me achieve a high score.”
✏️ “George is the best math teacher I have ever had and for the first time in my life I can now say I feel confident in math. I get it! He is so organized. He challenged me to really push the limit and had confidence in me that I could achieve the goals we set together. I wasn’t to sure but with his methods, encouragement and great teaching I did it and feel great about it too. I did greats on my SATs, my math grade is an A and I now will enter the honors level. I wish I had met George earlier. Thanks George.”
✏️ “After reviewing the yellow insert in the newspaper, I made a note to myself: Call Perdocere? I wondered: What does Perdocere mean? After my daughter’s ACT math results, I felt it was important to take action, so yes I did call Perdocere and spoke with George. After listening to our story, George met with my daughter to begin immediate math tutoring. We had limited time, six months, to accomplish a lot of learning in order to achieve a more successful math test score. Equally important, my daughter was to improve on her math for success when at college. George is a brilliant and enthusiastic teacher. He shared his plan with us and we quickly moved ahead. He had my daughter take both the SAT and ACT practice tests to see which would be best for her. He watched her to see how she worked. He prevailed upon our busy schedule for intense tutoring. George expects a lot from his student, but he gives much in return. For my daughter, she learned that math from him, and he instilled confidence. For me, he kept me in the loop and patiently worked with our schedule. At the six month point my daughter retook the test with George’s best wishes (and his calculator as her calculator shut down days before the test), and she exceeded her goal. Perdocere means to instruct thoroughly, Perdocere is George! Thank you!”
✏️ “George did an excellent job working with our daughter over the past year. He built her confidence and knowledge base so she could execute complex math problems under time pressure. We believe that one of George’s key strengths is his ability to work with strong students in advanced classes to achieve top performance. In addition, our daughter had fun working with George. We will use him in the future.”
✏️ “Thank you for your excellent help during our daughter’s absence from school. She returned not missing a beat in Trig and Chemistry. Not only that, your joy in teaching the material and encouragement further increased her interest in both subjects and boosted her confidence. We hope you will be able to continue working with her – it is such a pleasure to watch a child bloom academically!”
✏️ “Although I’ve only been with George for a short while, the most important thing I have discovered about him is that his teaching style is highly effective. Not only does he teach you how to do something, he teaches you why it is done that way. He is able to show you how basic concepts can be used to solve highly complex problems. Now, I am able to see the building blocks of each individual problem, and, from there, I am able to find the solution. He is totally approachable and will help you with anything. I know on countless occasions he has also given me advice that I find applicable to my physics homework. He truly does instruct his students very thoroughly, and if you are unsure of something, he will go over it as many times as you need. Because of him, I feel thoroughly prepared to take my SAT exam.” (700 SAT Math)
✏️ “We knew our son was brighter than his grades were showing. George did wonders, going back to basics and making sure he really understood the underlying concepts for both math and chemistry. His grades have improved, his confidence is back, and he recently hit the 700 mark on his math SAT. Now, if only we could send George to college with him...”
✏️ “George is a wonderful example of a professional instructor for mathematics and science. The quality of instruction administered in a calm, patient, and open manner reflects his true concern for the student. The dialog that exists between teacher and student is superb, as the knowledge that is sought and shared establishes itself. We are glad that academia has produced such a top notch instructor for our son.”
✏️ “George quickly and accurately assessed our son’s needs, then put together lesson plans, exercises and study guides geared to address his specific needs. He just came home with his first A.”
✏️ “Working with George has improved my math skills immeasurably. I was able to achieve a near perfect score on my Math SAT as a result of George’s dedication, patience, and skill in our tutoring sessions. He made sure I not only understood the concepts but had a deep knowledge of them. I also worked on my school work with George and felt that our work together put me well ahead of my fellow students.” (790 SAT Math)
✏️ “George’s stand-out credentials and many years of experience made him our first choice when we searched for a math tutor for our high school-aged grandson. As it turns out, George’s singular talents go far beyond these qualifications. He quickly established a genuine rapport with our grandson and made a thorough assessment of his academic strengths and weaknesses. In this context, he went back and rebuilt our grandson’s foundations in math, filling in gaps that would no doubt have become increasingly problematic in the coming years. He improved our grandson’s attitude toward learning and noticeably grew his confidence. He showed him what and how to study and how to apply his new knowledge effectively. George’s mentorship has surpassed our expectations and has proven to be an invaluable asset for our grandson. We are very pleased to have found him and recommend him highly.”
✏️ “George was everything we’d hoped for in an SAT tutor – and more. Just by the enthusiasm our son had for completing the between-session assignments (‘George work’ often came before homework!), we knew we’d made the right choice. Not only did he feel totally confident taking the SAT, his time with George helped him sharpen his ability to complete regular school assignments, as well; he is now tackling honors calculus with ease. Our son fully recognizes how much he benefited from George’s coaching: when his math SAT score came back 130 points over his first attempt, he said: ‘Way to go, George!’ ”
✏️ “George is hands down the best tutor we have ever encountered. He understands that students cannot excel in math unless their knowledge is built on a solid foundation. In tutoring my daughter, he returned to basics, discovering areas of weakness and explaining misunderstood concepts. A comment that my daughter made in passing, “I can ask George any question about math, and he can answer so that I can understand.” While he is conservative in making promises about outcomes, he committed himself 110% to ensure as successful an outcome for my daughter as possible. Our first goal was to achieve strong performance on the math SAT, where he approached the subject matter in a methodical, knowledgeable way, she scored a 780 on her first math SAT. With that successful experience under our belt, we then wanted to ensure strong classroom performance for the fourth quarter of her junior year. My daughter was receiving B+’s in her honors pre-calculus class (and averaging B’s on her tests and quizzes), but the subject matter became increasingly more challenging, and she was faltering in her ability to grasp concepts, particularly with respect to the topic of probability. George worked week in and week out to review the various chapters with my daughter, preparing her for tests, encouraging her after a difficult test. She received a B+ for her fourth quarter work, which I believe would have been significantly lower without George’s help. In order for my daughter to achieve an A- for the year, she needed a 95% on her final exam. George worked tirelessly to help her achieve this goal, but again was cautious in guaranteeing any results. My daughter and I were thrilled to see her report card a month after her final, with an A marked clearly for her final exam! We look forward to George helping us negotiate BC calculus as well as the Math Subject II test in the fall!”
✏️ “George enabled me to get an 800 on the math SAT and, for most parents, that may be all they need in a tutor. However, George isn’t just an effective tutor, he actually cares about the student. When I first started with George math was my least favorite subject, mainly because I just didn’t ‘get it.’ However, now, math is my strongest subject and I adore the class. George allowed me to not just ‘get by’ in my class, but to understand the material, and, through understanding excel. I can’t recommend George enough on both a professional and personal level.” (800 SAT Math, 36 ACT Math)
✏️ “I used to hate math and everything to do with it. But now that I’ve been working with George and I am ahead in my work, I absolutely love math now. I can’t even tell you the satisfaction I get when I know all the math in class the first time the teacher tells us. Also, my grades couldn’t be better right now, and it is all due to George”
✏️ “All three of my children are tutored by George in math, chemistry, and physics. Not only is George capable of tackling all three different subject areas, he is able to relate to the very different learning styles of each child.”
✏️ “George is very patient and explains everything in language that I can understand. He always encourages me and praises my accomplishments. I know that my SAT scores will be the best I am capable of. George has really made a difference!”
✏️ “The first time I took an SAT math practice test, I scored a 540. I was confident in my math skills, but I still scored quite low. After learning with George, I realized that my problem solving skills were not refined. George taught me how to think. The SAT math section does not actually have any extremely difficult math. The real tough part is solving a problem efficiently and accurately. George taught me how to connect many topics of math together to do this. By the time I was ready to take the real SAT, I was scoring 800’s on the practice tests.” (800 Math SAT)
✏️ “George is the real deal. Not only does he have a stellar educational background and a wealth of experience, but he has the tutorial skills to impart various math concepts and a real gift for connecting with students. My son has happily worked with George for five years; during that time, he consistently has brought home A’s. Simply put, George is the best there is.”
✏️ “George is a great tutor and is a great person to work with and not only has helped me learn, but also improve the quality of my work and has helped me change my style of doing math into an easier and more comprehensible method.”