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
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “This year, I am taking the most rigorous math course my school has to offer, AP Calculus BC. BC calc is extremely fast paced because of the AP test in May. Some of the topics are only covered for a fraction of a class; however, with George’s help, I am a month or two in front of the class. Because of the two month lead, George is able to show me more advanced topics that will never be covered in BC calc. The way that George teaches calculus incorporates everything that was previously learned in calc while still covering a lot of material extremely thoroughly. In class, I have done well on all of my tests. George has allowed me to obtain an understanding of calculus which seems impossible to get from the class alone. I am very thankful that I have George guiding me through BC calc.”
✏️ “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.’ ”
✏️ “Our daughter has always struggled with math, especially on standardized tests. Always a good student and hard working, she was always disappointed with her test scores. By working with George, she has grown in her understanding and grasp of the subject. My wife and I are encouraged to see her renewed energetic interest in achieving in math which for too long has been so frustrating and intimidating for her. George, thanks for all your help.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “He has genuine passion for teaching in its most basic sense. His subject knowledge and teaching style encourages our child’s participation in a planned roadmap for success.”
✏️ “George’s results have been spectacular in terms of overall grasp of subjects and preparation for specific exams. He is the cause of one or more of our children getting perfect or nearly perfect scores on SAT or AP tests where, in some instances, the effort was there but, prior to George, not much interest or aptitude a specific subject. He visibly changes good students into superlative students.”
✏️ “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 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 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!’ ”
✏️ “Before working with George, I thought of math as a drudgery. The subject required a lot of work and study, but it seemed to me that no matter how hard I applied myself, I could not affect a change in my grade. Math was a chore and an ugly spot on my report card. After being taught by George, however, that all changed. George takes the time to explain the mechanics behind a formula, never allowing memorization where there is understanding to be had. Under George’s tutelage, I began to see the beauty of mathematics, and as my interest in the subject grew, I found myself considering it less a boring necessity, but a more rewarding challenge. George’s teaching has turned my opinion of math completely on its head, and also yielded pleasant results during the final exam. Although my term grades before meeting George were not fantastic, I was able to score highly enough on my final exam to bring my overall math grade up to an A-. Without George’s careful guidance, this certainly would not have been possible. I cannot recommend his services highly enough – under George, not only my grades, but also my outlook on math changed for the better.”
✏️ “George has been more than just a tutor. He is a friend and a mentor for both our children. Perfect SAT and ACT scores were just the beginning. George is still with them in college. His methods and teaching skills are more than what we imagined. The sooner a child starts with George the better his foundations are made solid, and the confidence the student acquires with his help goes beyond math to encompass all the curriculum.” (800 SAT, 36 ACT)
✏️ “George was a wonderful tutor for my daughter’s Math SAT prep. George has a complete understanding of the Math SAT test. He is also skilled in teaching high school students this information. We were thrilled with the results! A very satisfied mom.” (730 SAT Math)
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “Our middle school son has a broader, deeper understanding of math concepts since working with George. He no longer memorizes formulas without knowing the why’s and how’s of problem solving. George can teach tough math concepts in an understandable way that translates into learning!! The success our son feels in mastering the math is a great boost to his self esteem. He just got an A+ for the year in eighth grade algebra.”
✏️ “George has been active in the academic lives of our two sons for the last four years. Each learns in a very different manner but, amazingly, George has been able to unlock both of their intellectual personalities. He consistently gets to the whys and wherefores of mathematics and is tireless in ensuring that his students’ math foundations are strong. He motivated our oldest son so much that he now is majoring in math in college. He has guided our second son to the top of his math class and now beginning to guide his SAT studies. George proved that an ‘800’ was possible; perhaps he can make it two in a row. George is always willing to go the extra yard to help his students and takes a sincere interest in their success. George has a gift that few have – a brilliant intellect coupled with an intuitive ability to teach. I count on him as part of our family because of the time and effort he has devoted to the education of our children.”
✏️ “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 tutored my daughter in math this summer. He clearly has knowledge and patience to tutor with confidence. He took pride in making sure my daughter understood the material covered, without tests and grades, only with positive feedback and enthusiasm. Thank you.”
✏️ “Whether in a group or individually George is by far the best tutor I have had. His knowledge is extensive and he teaches in a way that complex subjects are easy to understand. I’ve used other tutors and centers and none compare to George. He is such a great teacher that I kept bugging him to teach at my high school.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “George brought my grade from 63 to 100. Enough said.” (Honors Algebra II Student)
✏️ “Thank you for all that you do for our son!”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “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 is the best teacher I ever had.” (780 Math Level IIC, A in Level 1 Precalculus)
✏️ “Thanks to George I am getting an A in honors pre-calculus. Not only am I understanding the material fully, I find myself thinking outside the curriculum and trying to learn more advanced math. Only George could have taught me this high a level of math, and he is currently preparing me for advanced placement BC calculus. I am 100% confident George will help me conquer that class too.” (800 SAT Math, 800 SAT Math Level 2 Subject Test, 36 ACT Math)
✏️ “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)
✏️ “George has a very nice personality and is very smart. He has a nice way of conveying information to hold my son’s attention. George has been very helpful to my son, bringing his grades to a passing A and building his confidence in math.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “I’m proud of my accomplishments since he has worked with me.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “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)
✏️ “George not only taught me math and chemistry, but taught me in a way that was practical and easy. Compared to school teachers, George actually explains things in a simple way and most importantly taught me how to think through any problem, which is by far the most valuable lesson I have learned from him.”
✏️ “George is a fun guy who knows his stuff. He is enjoyable to work with and the results are astounding.”
✏️ “We are ecstatic about the progress George has made with our daughter’s math scores. He has instilled possibility when she knew only defeat. The experience of success in math has given her tremendous confidence. Higher math had been out of her reach, but now it is easily grasped. George’s knowledge is boundless, not only in math, but also in knowing how and when to motivate psychologically and emotionally. He is always prepared and upbeat and he keeps each session moving enthusiastically. Our hope was that George would just give our daughter the ‘jump start’ she needed, but in fact, he has become a part of our lives for years.”
✏️ “George is awesome. He pushes me hard, but it is because he knows I can do it. George is so smart. He has a thorough knowledge of all the material and he makes sure that I learn it just as completely. His one-on-one sessions really give me a chance to get a better grip on what we are learning in class and to explore deeper some of the things we do not get a chance to spend a lot of time on in school. As a result, I am a very confident math student.”
✏️ “Thanks again for everything you have done for the boys – you really have a gift!!”
✏️ “Math has never been my forte – even though George tells me I’m good at it every time I meet with him. Which in a way is true – because when George is teaching me I am good at math. Instead of only showing me how something works, he’ll explain why it works, which is exactly the teaching style I need. The difference in style, and therefore effectiveness, between George and my teachers at school is so vast that there’s a distinct possibility I would be failing math without him.”
✏️ “In preparation for high school, I asked George to find and patch the holes that we knew existed in my daughter’s math knowledge. Although my daughter has been an A student in math, it was apparent to me that she was getting by without really understanding the logic and meaning behind what she was doing in math. Because of this mechanics, memorization based approach to math, she found the subject to be her least favorite. George promised that he would find the holes in her knowledge and would then equip her with a deeper, more functional way of attacking math problems. In only a few sessions, the change in my daughter was evident. Her test grades improved, but most importantly, so did her confidence and creativity in finding solutions to math problems. My daughter happily sits through her sessions with George and is 100% engaged and happy. George is brilliant, thoughtful and kind and really understands how to work with kids. I feel that George is fully invested in my daughter’s success. I wish that all teachers were as wonderful and George!”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “The patience, commitment and encouragement of the instructor have helped our son bring his grades up significantly; and as his marks improved, so did his spirits and his confidence.”
✏️ “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 has been tutoring our son for over two years now, we are very pleased with the results. Our son has a real appreciation for the method in which George teaches, and is confident in his own abilities now to understand and comprehend challenging concepts. With George the lesson is always positive, focused and thoroughly understood. Besides being such a wonderful tutor, mentor, and motivator, George has encouraged our son to excel in other pursuits as well, always looking toward the future. We highly recommend George!”
✏️ “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.”
✏️ “Every time I see George with my son, I feel very happy and blessed knowing that he is in good hands. My wish is not just for my son to raise the points or grades but also to learn what “study” truly means through Math so that he can apply the concepts and skills across the fields in his lifetime. George is a teacher and mentor who can make my wish come true.”
✏️ “Before I met George, math was just another subject to painfully struggle through in order to achieve passable results. Once he and I began working together, it opened my mind to the possibilities that I could have with the joy of math. As my ACT math tutor, George made me realize how important a good work ethic, fun spirit, and a willingness to learn can create a love for something that I never thought I would’ve enjoyed. Now I can say that I am confident and happy in doing math not only for the sake of learning something new everyday, but also because George showed me how to take pride in something that I can do.”
✏️ “Not only has George quickly and effectively helped my daughter to significantly raise her ACT math scores but he has boosted her confidence ten fold!”