Hawthorn Woods Math Tutoring • Hundreds of Testimonials and Esteemed Verifications

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.”

Perdocere Tutoring - Prominent Named Verifications

✏️ 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.”

Perdocere Tutoring - Hundreds of Parent and Student Testimonials

Parent and Student Testimonials

✏️ “You have set the ‘gold standard’ that I don’t think anyone else can approach.”

✏️ “George is a pro. He has years of experience tutoring students lacking self confidence in math. He covers all the foundations, enabling the students to succeed. George has tutored my son for two years. In that time, he has grown into a good student who loves math and gets the grades to prove it. His success has been empowering and translated across other subjects. Besides being and excelled teacher, George is a genuinely nice man. My son and I are big fans.”

✏️ “What a revelation to learn that instead of being bad in math, our daughter just wasn’t being taught in the manner in which she learns best. George identified her individual learning style and the results have been astonishing. He does a superb job of dovetailing his tutoring of math at the high school level with his preparatory course for the math portion of the SAT.”

✏️ “Math SAT 800, 36 on the ACT Math, and 99% in Math Honors Pre-Calculus. In the time that we have worked with George that was the result. I do not believe anybody could have achieved better results. George, however, makes it look easy. What else can you say.”

✏️ “I met George in February of my junior year. Earlier in my junior year and sophomore spring, I had been bounced between countless math tutors who seemed uninterested in actually changing the way I learn and comprehend math on different levels, which is a necessary transition from my school math course work to solving problems on the ACT. A few had deemed me incapable of ever truly raising my math IQ and relied heavily on strategy to get me through standardized testing problems. Yet with George, everything changed. He studied the way I learned and took tests, and synthesized the information I gleaned from each of our sessions. He then broke down my entire bank of knowledge in the realm of mathematics and we started from the bottom, building our way up. As each new brick was laid in the foundation, my confidence grew and my ability to take control of the ACT in a way that worked for me was apparent. I no longer fear ACT test day, new units in Pre-calculus or a problem that seems overwhelmingly difficult based on its exterior. George became my math savior and I can not thank him enough.”

✏️ “This is exactly what we have discovered in George – To Teach or Instruct Thoroughly. George not only has read our son’s Advanced Algebra book, he has wrapped himself around it. He teaches with enthusiasm and a deep concern for our son. He genuinely cares that our son not only understands the many different concepts but also makes sure that our son is able to effectively apply them. Our son has 125 new problems every week and George makes sure our son fully understands each and every one. Our son’s grade has improved from a B- to an A- and we expect this trend to continue along with his growing mathematical confidence. Our son smiles broadly at the end of every session. George is the MVP of the academic playing field! Thank you George.”

✏️ “Thanks again for everything you have done for the boys – you really have a gift!!”

✏️ “I have been extremely happy with George tutoring my son for honors Geometry in his first year of high school. My son had a difficult transition to the rigor and demands of high school for which he was not prepared coming from a quite weak math background from middle school. George became his tutor in the most complete sense of tutoring, meaning that he did not only teach my son all the concepts in a way he could understand and without memorization but also gave him a method to study and trained him to think and solve problems. This allowed my son to regain his confidence and to learn how to study not just math but other subjects as well. George’s dedication, for all aspects that could benefit my son impressed me from the beginning. He knew from the start how to engage him, how to make him confront difficulty in a rational way, something that requires besides a deep understanding of the technical concepts a strong educational knowledge and experience. I will recommend George without hesitation to anyone that wants to truly understand math and succeed in academics.”

✏️ “George is an amazing teacher. He is the best tutor a parent can hire to help their child succeed in both mathematics and science. George is true to his thorough teaching; he goes beyond the knowledge taught at school to explain concepts. Having George as a tutor has been invaluable to me throughout high school. Whether you seek to improve grades in school, or simply to study advanced topics, no one can do a better job at helping you than George. George taught me basic calculus the summer before my AP Physics B course, which allowed me to view physics in a whole different perspective than the rest of my classmates, and has led me to decide to major in Biophysics next fall. And as I sit in my AP Calculus class this year, I can only smile and think, ‘George has taught me well.’ ”

✏️ “When I began my sessions with George, I was very apprehensive. I didn’t enjoy math and spending two extra hours outside of school was not something that I looked forward to. As the weeks went on, my confidence in my abilities skyrocketed. George quickly defined my problems, and made a long lasting impression on the work I now do. Not only did my scores dramatically increase but so did my school work. I now approach problems differently and find math to be more enjoyable. George is a wonderful teacher and I cannot explain how much he changed my approach to math. If I have any advice, it would be to listen to everything he says. He knows what he is talking about and the next time I walk into a mathematical minefield I know there will be a trap in the dusty corners that I can conquer. Thanks for everything George!”

✏️ “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”

✏️ “George is a natural; he not only tutors but teaches the student how to study and how to approach each subject. Math becomes an enjoyable experience. His teaching habits take over and the student shows a remarkable improvement in his all around school work. His method of cultivating a close relation with the student and his involvement in their overall school work is producing great results. I only wish we had someone like George when I went to school.”

✏️ “George gave me the confidence to believe that I could succeed in exams. He is a very patient teacher and is just the best at explaining difficult concepts. He makes it easy to concentrate and focus on the key parts of the course content.”

✏️ “I could tell, my son really liked you and already is getting huge benefits from working with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

✏️ “George is a great SAT Math tutor. His thorough knowledge of every part of the test definitely helped me to understand how to take the test in a better and more efficient manner. We tackled each problem as it came and not only solved it but broke down each component of the question so that we could easily tackle a harder version of the same problem down the road. In just three sessions of preparation with George my test scores increases by sixty points and branched into the 700 range. I believe that George’s attention to every detail of the test is what sets him apart from other tutors I tried and is what allowed me to do so well.”

✏️ “After trying several other tutors we had almost given up hope. We then found George and he has been amazing. Our daughter is now an A student in math and stress at home has vanished. Thank you George!”

✏️ “Our middle school son started to have difficulties in mathematics. After working with him, George was able to assess and pinpoint his areas of difficulty. In addition, George had the patience and teaching strategies that worked with our son. Now he enjoys the challenge of math and feels so much better about his abilities. His grades have gone from a C+ to a B+, and now A’s.”

✏️ “George is a godsend. He breaks math down in a language students understand while making the process enjoyable. By laying out the mechanics of math, he lays down a foundation for comprehension the student carries forward throughout their academic career. He also gets results. My son quickly grasped the concepts and went from a C+/B- student to an A student. He also moved up two class levels in his math placement. His improvement correlated directly with his confidence, which soared. He now thinks of himself as the math guy. The greatest compliment is that I recently asked him what he wants to be when he grows up and he said a math teacher.”

✏️ “George set an amazing foundation for my AP Physics course, when he taught me some basic calculus, which allowed me to understand how all the formulas interconnected, rather than simply memorizing them.” (AP score 5)

✏️ “With SAT’s looming, I hired George to access and fill in the gaps in my son’s math knowledge. My son scored a 550 on his first practice SAT with George, so there were plenty of areas that needed attention! George came up with a comprehensive plan to rebuild my son’s math knowledge from the ground up. George taught my son to look at math through a completely different lens, which enabled him to think creatively as opposed to mechanically when he approached math problems. This strong foundation coupled with a creative approach to problem solving resulted in a 780 on the SAT. George was professional, methodical, and thoughtful during each session, and knew how to motivate and inspire my son. Although the work was hard at times, my son was always happy and grateful to be working with such a brilliant and kind teacher. I only wish all of my son’s math teachers could be as exceptionally qualified and compassionate as George!” (780 SAT Math)

✏️ “Thank you so much for all you do for our son, and for us!”

✏️ “George is the best math tutor imaginable.”

✏️ “George has been tutoring our son for over a year and this year he is the top student in his honors precalculus math class. He’s a more confident student and is willing to help others in his class so they may be successful. That helps to reinforce what he is learning, as well. This year, he has been studying for the ACT and SAT with George and we anticipate good outcomes!”

✏️ “George was flexible and accommodating when my daughter and I found ourselves overscheduled one month before three scheduled SAT-2 examinations. He organized a study program, identified the appropriate tools, and worked out a mutually acceptable schedule on short notice. His thorough understanding of the information and the test process coupled with his kind and cheerful personal style was very effective. The outcomes met our very high expectations, and we look forward to working with him in the future.”

✏️ “George has been an inspiration to our son! He now has the confidence that he can actually understand and be successful in math.”

✏️ “George is the best math teacher I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Before I met George I had a 670 on my math SAT, and now I am getting 800’s consistently. I owe it all to George because he is constantly pushing me to work hard to achieve my goals. He teaches me more than I need to know so that I understand all the math on a higher level. George has always supported me and has made me a better learner.” (800 SAT math)

✏️ “My son is a typical middle school boy – more interested in sports than school. George has been able to motivate him to want to learn and excel in math. His teaching approach has been tailored to my son’s learning style with good results. His enjoyment, understanding, and confidence in math has increased significantly. To realize that my son’s math foundation is solidifying for the high school years is a comfort.”

✏️ “Beginning with the very first session, my school work became much easier. George helps me understand math in a way I never did before.”

✏️ “I am very happy to recommend your services to any family that wishes to prepare their children above and beyond what is found in the secondary schools curriculum. Our son who had a declining grade eight in middle school transitioned to Walpole High School and achieved honor roll status his freshman year. His continued Math and Science success is continuing now into his sophomore year and none of this would have been possible without your help. I can’t thank you enough for not only your Math and Study Skills help but more importantly your teaching the importance of life skills to our son. It has been said that ‘If you give a man a fish you give him a meal, however if you teach a man to fish you feed him for life’.”

✏️ “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 made a huge difference in how our son approached math problem solving, as well as in how to take the SAT. George quickly identified fundamental mathematic deficiencies and provided the education required so that these principles can now be applied in any setting, not just in taking the SAT. We look forward to working with George again next year. Thanks George from all of us!!!”

✏️ “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!”

✏️ “We are absolutely thrilled with what George has done with our son. He has instilled a sense of confidence, made him realize that he can excel academically and allowed him to set his sights on things that he never thought he could achieve. George is incredibly knowledgeable, extremely approachable and a fantastic teacher. He has gone out of his way to make sure that our son is always prepared for his next challenge. George will be part of our family’s academic life for years to come!!”

✏️ “You are the best!”

✏️ “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 not an ordinary math teacher. Not only did my son receive phenomenal math tutoring, but George also boosted his confidence. I’d overhear George encouraging my son, ‘Let’s look at the problem carefully, it’s easy…’ By upping my son’s self esteem, George was able to improve his score. George also built up my son’s stamina by having him take full length practice tests so he’d be prepared for the actual SAT.”

✏️ “Having George help me kept a smile on my face. I was never left hanging before a big test.”

✏️ “It is with both pleasure and sadness that I write this testimonial for George who has tutored my three children over the last five years in a wide range of subjects (math, pre-calculus, chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, and a little engineering on occasion). George has been an extraordinary resource and has become an honorary family member and a dear friend to me and all my children. He has seen my children through quizzes and tests, helped with tricky homework assignments, and led them to superlative performances on their SATs, APs and ACTs. George has been a terrific mentor as well as a tutor, giving advice on school, the college application process, and the like. George keeps up to date with all assignments posted by the school and helps even disorganized kids get organized. He is terrific at reminding the kids of deadlines for projects, assignments, quizzes and standardized tests. He has always made time in his busy schedule for extra sessions when a big test or project is due, he explains why and how rather than tell a student just to apply the formula, he adjusts his method and style of tutoring to each individual child, he is reliable and efficient and always pleasant, and his range of subject matter knowledge is superb. I honestly believe that George’s tutoring has had a big and most positive impact on my children in many ways. On the most obvious level, he truly did help boost their test scores and probably did impact the level of college to which they were admitted. Beyond that, however, he really gave them a greater appreciation and understanding of subject matters that they were not as comfortable with, and gave them the tools to help them think, analyze and solve. These are tools that they will carry with them and use all their lives, whether they ever take another math course or not. That is what a real tutor does not just get you through the next exam. And even further, George honestly cares about his students not just their performance but also their minds, their interests, and their character. Whenever my two oldest are home from college, they are delighted to see George again, and I know that my youngest will miss George when he starts college this year, as will I. George has been a big part of our lives. We are better of for the experience in many, many ways. Thank you, George.”

✏️ “He is very patient and explains complex terms in simple English. He also works hard to keep a smile on your face even when things are difficult.”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “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!”

✏️ “A word of advice: start with George early. Building the proper foundation in math is crucial to getting good grades in all years of high school as well as good SAT math scores.”

✏️ “I am happy to have George as my daughter’s tutor. He is thorough and organized and has helped my daughter understand the subject better. I am pleased with my daughter’s improved performance in her school quizzes and tests. I highly recommend George.”

✏️ “Working with George has changed my life for the best. When I first started High School, I was still overcoming many challenges involving my health – which had been affecting my grades as well as what classes I had to take. Once I met George tough, I knew he was different than the countless other tutors that had come and gone through my life. George was able to get me to heights I’d never even believed I could reach. The passion that he has for mathematics and his endless dedication to his students is visibly seen every time he’s doing a lesson. Not only has George been a fantastic tutor but he has also been a great friend. He’s given me important input to major decisions I’ve had to make in my life whether it’s what college or even what classes I should take. There’s nobody I can credit more when it comes to the straight A’s in math classes I’ve taken these past four years and the 710 & 750 I received on the SAT and SAT Math IIC than him. I would have never believed back then that George would’ve had the impact that he has now on my life. Thanks for everything, George.”

✏️ “George’s capabilities extend well through college topics. After taking BC calculus my senior year of high school, I took a semester off before taking Calculus III in the spring term. What began as a speed review of single-variable calculus expanded to encompass numerous topics neglected in the high school curriculum, as well as proper explanations and proofs of many other topics. George’s first goal is to establish a solid mathematical foundation; or in a case like mine, backfill the incomplete foundation. From there, working into sciences or high level math becomes far easier.” (800 SAT Math)

✏️ “George taught me the difference between wisdom and knowledge, and George is by far the most experienced and intelligent teacher I have had the pleasure of working with.” (800 Math SAT, 800 SAT Math IIC, 36 ACT)

✏️ “George’s teaching has not only allowed me to conquer complex calculus problems, but has also taught me the specific processes needed in order to crack several SAT problems. Immediately after entering Advanced Pre-Calculus my junior year I fell behind, unable to solve problems and make critical connections. However, with George’s help, I improved dramatically, impressing not only myself, but also my teacher. I ended up finishing the year with an A, a real feat in the challenging math department at my school. After George boosted my confidence in solving problems, particularly by breaking them down into manageable pieces and explaining proofs behind equations, I knew I could take on the rigorous AP Calculus course at my high school. Sure enough, his relentless attitude and determined spirit earned me an A for the first trimester and on my midterm exam. After starting with George in the 9th grade, I would have never thought that I could make it this far. Our compatible personalities and George’s vested interest in my success led me to gain a high SAT score and consistently excellent grades. For George it is never ‘I can’t do this,’ but rather ‘how can we solve this problem in more than one way to truly understand the concept?’ I am confident that George has provided me with a solid foundation that will allow me to succeed in college mathematics and ultimately my desired career path.”

✏️ “George re-defines the definition of tutor. We have never met anyone with his credentials, mastery of the subject and infinite sense of caring and can-do attitude. The stress level as it relates to school work has gone way down in our home since he began tutoring our daughter. We only wish we had met him years sooner.”

✏️ “George is a miraculous Math tutor. At the end of December I called George and told him my predicament, that my son was doing his mid-terms in a few weeks time and that he needed immediate Math tutoring. George tutored him five times before his mid-terms and he did very well. I’m grateful to George for coming to our assistance at such short notice. In addition to doing so well in his mid-terms my son has gained much more self-esteem in himself as George taught him how to approach doing Math homework and prepare for quizzes and tests.”

✏️ “George has helped me to understand algebra better than my teachers at school ever could!”

Click Here for the Complete List of Hundreds of Parent and Student Testimonials. What’s Shown Above is a Small Sampling.