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’ve always struggled with pre-calculus and calculus. My teachers never taught the theory behind the problems, or how it was connected to the big picture. George makes it his mission to make sure you thoroughly understand the concepts of the subject.” (college calculus student)
✏️ “For the last two years, George has done everything he could to help me in both Algebra 2 and Honors Precalculus. My grades improved significantly in a very short period of time, and were maintained throughout the school year thanks to him. He knows the material very well, he is extremely good at explaining it in simple terms, and above all, he is a very easy person to get along with. I highly recommend George as a tutor, not only for the effort and attention he put into preparing each of my lessons, but also because I know he invests that same effort and attention in every lesson he gives.”
✏️ “I am very impressed and happy with George as a tutor for my daughter. With his extensive knowledge, he can instruct her in both math and science, both for the classroom and SAT prep. I think he is very patient as he works with the student and is able to quickly discover how best to work with them.”
✏️ “Our son was diagnosed with lymphoma during his freshman year and has been out of school for a year and a half. In addition to feeling sick from all of the chemo treatments, he was feeling hopeless that he would ever be able to catch up with his schoolwork. What he wanted the most was to catch up in math – Algebra II. George was the answer. For almost a year now George has been teaching him in our home for 4-6 hours a week. Not only is he catching up but he is also maintaining an A average and he will be able to enter his junior year this fall feeling completely confident in his math knowledge. We are so grateful to George for that. Although he has a long way to go catching up in all his other subjects and he still has another six months on chemo treatment, he is ready to get back to his life as a normal high school student. Couldn’t have done it without George! Thank you for your dedication to our son – mathematically and emotionally!!”
“George is a great tutor and a very nice person to talk to. I would recommend him for anyone.”
✏️ “George has been working with my son since June. When I called George we had a great conversation and I explained the math issue my son was having. He understood the issues and had a solution and a game plan to attack the problem. Since working with George my son’s math comprehension and retention has improved. But more importantly, my son looks forward to working with George weekly and requires no prompting to be prepared for tutoring. He uses positive reinforcement to engage my son. Currently, George is working with my son on SAT preparation. The strategies put in place will allow my son to do well on the SAT exam.”
✏️ “George has been an excellent tutor and mentor to me. When I started with him I was failing my geometry class. Within only a couple months he helped my grade go up by three grade letters. Thanks to him I will be finishing the years with a solid grade. Not only has he helped me academically but he has also made me more confident in my classes and work. At my hardest struggle, George took his time to spend many extra hours with me. He teachers like no other teacher and is able to make strong connections with his students while teaching the best techniques and strategies to solving problems.”
✏️ “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’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.”
✏️ “Our daughter would have never gotten accepted to the highly selective college she now attends without George. Meaning she would have missed the opportunity to go to the school that’s turned out to be perfect for her. We thank our lucky stars for George every single day.”
✏️ “Who you gonna call?? We have relied on George for both of our daughters in tutoring Mathematics and Chemistry. I noticed George’s ads, called him and the rest is history. For my older daughter, we began seeing George in the second half of her junior year. She needed a quick review for her upcoming SAT, after having scored in the 600’s for her PSAT. She received a 730 on her first try. In addition, my daughter was struggling in her Precalculus course, despite studying under a different tutor earlier in the year. George salvaged my daughter’s junior year math grade, and she ended the year with an A-, after a rocky first half. He takes a very methodical approach to teaching, and doesn’t believe in shortcuts. To excel, the student must understand the concepts, and not simply memorize rules. We called on George again to help my daughter through her senior year Calculus BC course, as well as to tutor her for the retest of the SATs, for the Math II exam and for her AP exam in BC Calculus. Needless to say, the results were stellar. She improved her SAT math score to a 780; received a 790 on her Math IIC exam; eeked out an A- in her BC Calculus course for the year, and topped it off with a 5 on her AP BC Calculus exam. She was thrilled particularly with the AP score, because it satisfied her Math requirement in college. But guess what? She may become a Computer Sciences major, and is probably going to have to take a lot more math. And she can approach college math with confidence, given the solid foundation George provided her. My younger daughter is a junior in high school and is taking AP Chemistry. She loves the subject, but was finding the subject matter increasingly challenging during the fall semester. We called George, he taught her for three sessions and she was thrilled to get an A on her mid-term, and an A for the fall semester. She was impressed with his thorough understanding not only of the subject matter, but of how the teacher required questions to be answered. He discerned that the teacher required responses that exactly followed the AP test… my daughter adjusted her answers accordingly. I think we are going to have to call on George again soon…the material is becoming challenging again, significantly more difficult than the questions on the Chemistry AP exam, and we take comfort in knowing he has complete mastery of the material and boy, does he know how to teach! — A happy parent.”
✏️ “My senior year brought with it an abundance of math challenges. I had decided to enroll in BC Calculus, as well as take the Math II SAT2. I never considered myself to be particularly good at math, so I was very worried about how my various math undertakings would pan out – but, under George’s tutelage, I ended up doing better than I could have ever expected. Often investing extra time into lessons, George Patiently taught me enough about precalculus and calculus to raise my average SAT2 by more than 180 points and nudge my math grade to an A. George takes the time to explain the underpinnings of each theorem, never resorting to memorization when there is understanding to be had. Whenever I brought my confusions to George, he could explain with perfect clarity what had gone wrong in my calculations. Two years ago, I never would have envisioned myself having my current relationship with math – one where I can look forward to new challenges rather than dread tests and quizzes. Without George’s unparalleled skill as a teacher, I would never have improved in math to the point that I have. As a student, I cannot recommend George highly enough. More than achieve tangible results in terms of grades and numbers, I have developed an entirely new attitude towards mathematics thanks to George.”
✏️ “The SAT Subject Test for Math Level IIC is not an easy test. One must completely understand the topics that are covered to complete the problems, and one must have precision and speed to score high on the test. With George’s help, I was able to get high scores on many of the practice tests which reflected my real score. George has taught me the best ways to approach each problem; I can now solve each question quickly while understanding the math behind each question completely. I am very thankful that I was able to meet George, for his teachings and support allowed me to success on the SAT Math Level IIC test.” (780 SAT Math Level IIC)
✏️ “I wish we had found George sooner! He has done a wonderful job of not only teaching the current year’s math, but also of going back and filling in the missing pieces of our son’s mathematical foundation. He has helped him in the sciences, and as we move into SATs, I expect to see his positive influence there as well. Our son in a more confident student because of George. However, I think George’s greatest strength may be sensing what learning style fits our son and being able to adapt on a given day to what he needs, both emotionally and scholastically.”
✏️ “This year our son attended the Perdocere Math SAT Prep Course. George’s clear, well-presented explanations and thorough review of the SAT Math was very helpful. We finally found someone with a high-level math knowledge base and also with the unique and most important quality – the skill of teaching in a manner that is understandable. George has helped our son gain knowledge, skill and confidence.”
✏️ “Before I began working with George, I was getting good grades in math but much of the time I didn’t really understand what I was doing or why I was doing it. After my first session with George, I could tell he was a different kind of teacher. He really explained the concepts instead of just teaching me steps that I had to memorize. George always makes sure that I completely understand what I am working on before we move on to a new concept. I look forward to my sessions with George. George makes the sessions fun, interesting, and challenges me to think in ways that I haven’t been taught in school. George also happens to be funny and kind and I feel he really cares about me as a student.” (96% Final Math Assessment)
✏️ “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 truly amazing teacher. Not only is he incredible capable and knowledgeable but also sincere and caring. He knows how to captivate a student’s focus and how to motivate them. There is nobody better than George!”
✏️ “I got a perfect PSAT math score, thank you!”
✏️ “Five years ago I was struggling in my math and science classes. I tried around with a lot of the brand name tutoring companies, but I was just not improving the way I wanted to. So, when my mother told me she had hired another tutor I felt a little reluctant. However, after a few sessions with George I could actually see results. My success in learning the material properly reflected itself in both my grades and my ability to learn new material more readily. I can’t stress enough just how different George is from other tutors. George’s ability to work with his students and figure out on an individual basis how to teach subjects is unparalleled. My junior year I managed to get fantastic scores on all my standardized tests, including a perfect 800 on the math SAT. To me, George has been a great friend and an incredible asset throughout my high school career. George makes the material accessible and I cannot recommend him enough.” (800 SAT Math, 36 ACT Math)
✏️ “George has worked with my children on test prep for the SAT, ACT, AP exams, and the SAT subject matter tests. My two oldest — for whom math is their worst subject — scored a 740 and a 790 on the SAT math section. My youngest just scored an 800! I, and they, attribute the high scores to their work with George. He not only helps them with the substantive skills needed for success, but also with the practical hints that come in so handy on standardized tests. He works through many practice exams and works to educate them about their particular strengths and weaknesses so that the right emphasis in studying can be made. All three of my children report that they feel that working with George has made a big difference in their school performance and test scores.”
✏️ “I understand my math now, I can go to class knowing the material on the test and am confident on what I need to know to get a good grade, I have gone from failing in math to being an A student.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “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 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.”
✏️ “I cannot express my gratitude to George who is devoted to my son’s education. George ensures that the time spent is productive. My son’s experience has been excellent, and the results were exceptional. George is not only the best math teacher for my son but also a mentor who helps him open new doors for the future.”
✏️ “We just keep coming back for more! George has been working with at least one of our children for the past five years. He has firmly grounded them in mathematics and physics and has given them the confidence to handle any problem set that is assigned. Perfect or nearly-prefect SAT and SAT-II scores have also come the children’s way during this time – and George can truly take credit for readying them for these standardized tests. He knows that strength in fundamentals and hard work are the most important variables in the success equation. George is an educator first and foremost. He explains concepts in a clear and concise manner and has a way of consistently reinforcing these concepts. He pushes his students to achieve… but always in an extremely supportive manner. George does what is necessary to ensure that his students understand what is being taught. He wants all of his students to succeed – and is truly vested in their success. In sum, we can’t say enough good things about George… now if only we could clone George for the SAT critical reading.”
✏️ “You have set the ‘gold standard’ that I don’t think anyone else can approach.”
✏️ “We first looked for a tutor when it became clear that our son did not understand the material in his honors pre-calculus class and was moving from a passing grade to a failing grade as the material became more difficult. We asked George to work with our son. He first worked to stop the immediate problem by working with him on a quiz by quiz basis. As this crisis diminished, he has devised a longer-range plan to bring our son up to the point where he can achieve on his own. George has a rare skill of understanding the material and being able to communicate it in a way that our son could understand. Thanks to George, our son has renewed his confidence and improved his grades enough that he is now on a course to respectfully pass his honors pre-calculus course.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “Within the last two years, George not only fulfilled his duties as a tutor by helping me excel in Calculus and on the SAT’s but went beyond by helping me with the college application process and advising me based on my academic goals. Through out George mentored me and helped me to grow and develop the strong work ethic and skills that I have today and use every day in college.”
✏️ “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!”
✏️ “I have been working with George for about six months and I have never seen myself improve this drastically. I achieved a 5 on my AP exam and a 770 on my SAT Math. I truly owe it all to George.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “George is the best math tutor our daughter has ever had. He has given her the critical skills to understand, encode and recall mathematic principles to achieve her best possible classroom scores.”
✏️ “George is the best tutor that our family has ever used. No one else is even close. He quickly identified my son’s strengths and weaknesses, and then set about in an orderly, sensible and strategic way to fix the weaknesses. There was a purpose to every problem set or test that he assigned. George customized his approach to the individual child which in turn created ‘buy-in’ from my son, who realized that he was not going to be assigned busy work, but focused problems designed to address areas that needed work. Bottom line my son got a 55 on the PSAT math and 8 months later, with George’s help, got a 770 on the SAT math.”
✏️ “I’m proud of my accomplishments since he has worked with me.”
✏️ “Believe it. It’s true. Before George started tutoring our daughter, I read every single one of the testimonials on this website. It was clear the students and families were overwhelmingly pleased, but could he teach our child? It took mere minutes before I heard our daughter say, "Oh I get it! That’s easy" At that very moment, two things happened. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief because I knew we had found the perfect tutor, and our daughter began to believe in herself. The big question in our house a few months ago was “What are we going to do about math?” Now we’re looking far ahead and wondering to ourselves, “What will she do with math?” ”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “George is the best tutor out there. With his thorough teaching, he has increased my Math SAT score by over 200 points in the past year. Since the eighth grade, George and I have been working to increase my math grades at school, and together we have been nothing but a great success. George is extremely talented. I think that to him, Perdocere is more than a clever Latin name for his tutoring business, it’s a philosophy. George knows everything about the system, whether it be public school, the SAT, or math in general. He didn’t acquire this knowledge through tricks and memorization. He learned it through simply learning the math thoroughly. I can speak from experience. Once George and I had conquered Algebra, I had the skills to conquer problems that would have been insurmountable to me just a few months before. It’s quite simple. It all comes down to his philosophy of teaching thoroughly. George produces results.”
✏️ “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 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.”
✏️ “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 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.”
✏️ “George is the best math tutor imaginable.”
✏️ “When I first met George, he gave me a diagnostic practice SAT math, and I scored a 530 on the SAT. Now, I can hit 800’s with time to spare. George has taught me new math topics, but he has mainly taught me how to think. He has shown me that each math problem can relate to the other, so you can solve each problems in a myriad of ways. We have sat down together and searched for new ways to solve the most difficult problems. It is almost like George unlocked something in my brain that now allows me to see all of the different solutions to each problem. Once I see all the possibilities, I can choose the most efficient and safe solution which now allows me to score 800’s.”
✏️ “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!!”
✏️ “Thanks again for everything you have done for the boys – you really have a gift!!”
✏️ “He takes the time to understand the individual needs of our child, and goes the extra mile to make sure our son has all the material needed to be successful. He builds a clear picture for success with forward thinking and planning, makes sure the child is at ease, and provides great feedback on each lesson.”
✏️ “During my sophomore year in high school, before I began tutoring with George, I worried constantly about the effect my math grade would have on my grade point average. George started teaching me during the beginning of my junior year, and now, having graduated from high school, I can look back and say that George’s superb skills as a tutor led me from getting B’s in Algebra II to A’s in BC Calculus. Thanks to George, math stopped being a constant source of worry for me and became a course that helped me maintain my GPA. I studied under George for two years, and my attitude towards mathematics changed immensely during that time. George’s patience and creativity make him an ideal tutor for both struggling students and those who wish to broaden their understanding of mathematical concepts.” (770 SAT Math, 770 SAT Math IIC)
✏️ “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.”