Smithton Tutoring • Hundreds of Testimonials and Prominent Named 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

✏️ “George brought my daughter’s math grades up from C- to A’s. He works well with my daughter and is very positive.”

✏️ “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 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 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!”

✏️ “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 has been tutoring me for eight months. While he has a relaxed personality, he thoroughly explains all important concepts and makes sure that I full understand the topics before moving on. His knowledge is vast and I really enjoy working with him.”

✏️ “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)

✏️ “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 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.”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “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 an excellent teacher because my daughter’s grade in math has gone from a C+ to an A through out the school year.”

✏️ “I’m proud of my accomplishments since he has worked with me.”

✏️ “George brought my grade from 63 to 100. Enough said.” (Honors Algebra II Student)

✏️ “George knows his math. His educational accomplishments speak for themselves as does his many years of experience tutoring the subject. He has done a great job with my son. He has awakened his love of math. He simplifies where it is complex and enriches where it is too simple, balancing the subject and keeping my son engaged. This year my son has earned an A in math so obviously he gets results. More than that, George is a great person and my son truly looks forward to and enjoys his sessions. Working with George was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “Math had never been my strong suit, but in only a short time tutoring with George, my math SAT score increased by more math 100 points. More importantly, I find myself realizing that math can, indeed, be fun and interesting. George’s teaching style is engaging and his enthusiasm for even the most mundane math is contagious, spurring me to apply myself to my studies. George delineates even the most impenetrable concepts with patience and clarity. I greatly appreciate the deeper understanding of math that George has imparted to me, and I look forward to the future!” (780 SAT Math)

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “George has been the best investment we could have made for our son. He has been tutoring him for over two years now and our son has been in honors math ever since. He and George are now in the process of SAT ‘training’, if you will. We just know that his scores will be nothing but impressive. Thank you, George.”

✏️ “George is by far the best teacher I’ve ever had! The way he teaches and presents the material is unlike anything I’ve come across. I’m not sure why I’ve never witnessed this way of teaching before, because it clearly works! The math really does become clear with George at the reins. When I look at any sort of math problem, I can truly say I understand all the pieces and how they interact. My way of thinking about math has always been a way that has irritated and frustrated my teachers because I don’t always catch on as fast as the other students would. George is able to pick up on this and teach the math at any angle to suite my learning style. I am highly confident that he will do the same for you!”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “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!”

✏️ “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 is a great tutor. His math knowledge and his ability to teach it in such a way that my son understood it was amazing. My son improved his Math SAT score by almost 100 points. I highly recommend George both as a tutor and as a person. He made a huge impression on my son. Thank you so much.”

✏️ “George is a good guy. A+ tutor. Great results, my son scored a 730!”

✏️ “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?” ”

✏️ “I don’t know how I would get through high school without 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)

✏️ “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 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.”

✏️ “What would our schools be like is we could witness George’s way of teaching there? Quality, it works!”

✏️ “I’ve been a student of George’s now for four years going on five. I tried other tutors but no one really does it quite as well as George. He does his best to help the student and to ensure their good performance. One night, before the SAT George stayed with me for roughly six hours to ensure that I got my 800 on the math portion of the SAT. Overall George is the best tutor I’ve had thus far, and if you are looking for honest results George is the way to go.”

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

✏️ “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 is a tutor extraordinaire. He is a born teacher who genuinely enjoys the kids he teaches and the work he does. He inspires his students to do their best and is able to establish a rapport with each of them. George has tutored my three teens for several years, responding to each one’s different abilities. He has helped them in all kinds of math, chemistry, physics, ACT, SAT – you name it, George can handle it! George has given each one a very positive learning experience, leading to greater self-confidence and enthusiasm for the subject matter. George encourages each child to take responsibility for his or her own learning. George has a wonderful ability to present concepts in a highly organized manner. All three of my kids report that George’s explanations are better than what they received at school and help them to really understand the concept as opposed to a mechanical application of ‘the rule’. None of the three ever grumbled about working with George. If they are having difficulty with a topic, they don’t panic because they know George will explain it and help them understand the issues. They all three see George as a friend as well as a tutor, as do I. When my two oldest are now home from college, they love to visit with George and bring him up to date on their academic progress.”

✏️ “George has made such a big difference for our child – academically and personally.”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “We simply could not ask for a better qualified, kind and sincere educator for our son.”

✏️ “Far more than a brilliant teacher, George’s warm and positive attitude has been truly therapeutic by giving our daughter a new confidence and competence in math.”

✏️ “George is a fun guy who knows his stuff. He is enjoyable to work with and the results are astounding.”

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

✏️ “We would heap praises, but facts speak better. With a ‘C’ in 8th grade math, and teachers happy with ‘the C’, which translates to just passing 8th grade MCAS at the cut-off grade, we looked to George to teach our child. The weekly two-hour session is productive and fun for our child! We would never have imagined our child sitting for two hours on High School Algebra – but it happens every week – only with George. George finds a way to teach and convey concepts in math – overcoming our child’s learning disabilities. Our child brought home a B+ in Algebra, and in one Algebra quiz, got the first time ever 100%. Our child has gained confidence which beats the frustration and ‘I hate math’ during 8th grade.”

✏️ “George is the best teacher I ever had.” (780 Math Level IIC, A in Level 1 Precalculus)

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “George, you are perpetually a star! Thanks so much for all your help with our son. We are so very appreciative.”

✏️ “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)

✏️ “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!”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “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.”

✏️ “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!!!”

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