James

Kijun S. from San Francisco, CA

For over a year James taught me creative writing, poetry, and philosophy. He is an amazing teacher who not only improved the technical aspects of my writing, but also reignited my passion for learning. As a non-native speaker of English, I reached out to him with an ambiguous goal, which at the time was “to write better.” I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but over the months James kept me focused with his challenging and thought-provoking assignments. For the first few weeks, we dissected my short story about losing a camera. We walked through multiple revisions of this story, discussing its grammar, narrative structure, tone, and meaning. I was learning so much every lesson that I started spending tens of hours every week reading and writing. In his lessons, James often integrated insights he drew from his command over the humanities. He got me excited enough to dive into philosophy on top of my writing assignments. Over the year we discussed the history of Western philosophy, spiced with occasional digressions into religion and linguistics, books and poetry, paintings and music. On every lesson he would bring in new topics, or excerpts from primary sources that would inspire me to read the actual work. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend James as a tutor of subjects like English, philosophy, or history. But if you’re also looking for a wise, caring mentor who will spark the student’s passion for learning, James is a true teacher who has done just that.

Shelley Y. from Burlingame, CA

I feel so fortunate that I found James to help my son's writing problems. My son, a high school freshman who has problems finishing any writing projects including essays, book/science/history reports within a reasonable time frame. I did not sit in their tutoring sessions. However I knew I have found the perfect tutor for my son based on James's preliminary comments, with which I totally agree.

Gail C. from San Francisco, CA

James is a wonderful tutor. He helped tutor my son in Latin and is very thorough in his lessons. He's friendly and always on-time. My son struggled with Latin for a while and averaged about 70 on tests. After some tutoring, he was able to get a 90 on his final. If you need help with Latin, which I hear is difficult, I would definitely recommend James.

Julie B. from Oakland, CA

James helped to bring my daughter’s Latin grade up significantly by holding her accountable for her studies through the development of a work plan at each session and review of work accomplished at the next tutoring session. Through his thorough knowledge of Latin and the classics, he brought relevancy to her Latin studies and served as her intellectual mentor when she was faltering. Based on her success resulting from these sessions, my daughter intends to continue working with James on her third year Latin studies and plans to add AP English to the list of subjects she will undertake with him in the fall.

Eileen C. from San Francisco, CA

My son, a high school senior, needed work on his writing skills, primarily for the SAT but also in general. I wanted to prepare him for college level writing and a private tutor is very helpful to develop these skills. Jim was great working with him and his vast experience as an English teacher really shows. Jim began the first lesson with a solid assessment of my son's skills. Jim's lessons were quick paced (high school boys can be easily bored) and he gave solid techniques to my son for thinking his way through writing prompts to come up with appropriate content for the essay. He had a very organized, step by step approach for improving writing style as well. I highly recommend Jim to anyone who wants an experienced, engaging and perceptive writing tutor!

Colette M. from San Francisco, CA

I feel so lucky that we found James. He is a true gem in every way. He has years of experience as a teacher and comes prepared to tackle just about any subject. My daughter is on a temporary leave from school, and I asked James to work with her to keep her on pace with her class in English and Philosophy. He came the first day and launched right away into a discussion about Macbeth, Sigmund Freud, and the notion of free will, thereby integrating her two classes. Before the next lesson, he emailed her two articles to read and incorporated them into their conversation. He conducts the session with the mastery of a seasoned teacher who commands the full attention of his student. He leads the discussion to places that are challenging and interesting. He is very kind, purposeful, and engaging. My daughter loves working with him and I love the sound of the two of them in a lively discussion at the kitchen table over a cup of tea. I have hired several tutors over the years and I can honestly say that James is of the highest caliber.

Michelle W. from San Francisco, CA

James is the most amazing, prompt, reliable tutor. My son is 10 years old and James makes learning fun for him. My son is excited when he comes to tutor him!! James doesn't waste ANY Time!! Makes you feel good, it is money well spent and great for you child's future. Thank you James!!

Margie K. from San Francisco, CA

My son has learning differences and struggles on writing projects. In just one session James got him started on a paper which gave him the confidence to proceed on his own. This in turn kept me his parent out of the loop and made everyone's lives a lot happier. This was just the first time I worked with James but I intend to use him throughout the year. My son is a junior in high school.

Maisy Y. from San Francisco, CA

James is a very patient tutor who slowly guides me through my homework.  He encourages me to read the context out loud, which help me understand what I'm reading.  He has a lot of knowledge of history, English writing, many things.  He once summarized the entire chapter of Islam without even reading the text book, so I understood the context easily. He also spent an hour and a half just on improving my outline of my English essay such as making better word choices, thesis, topic sentence, citations, specific evidences, and analysis.  I think James is an amazing tutor for any student.  I feel much more confident about my writing skill now.

Marcie B. from Alameda, CA

James is a very good teacher. He is well prepared, passionate about the subject, early for lessons, knows his material well, prepares for our lessons and is very caring. I would highly recommend studying with him.

Daniel D. from San Francisco, CA

James has done a fantastic job introducing my 15 year old son to Latin this past semester. He is now better prepared to take on Spanish or other Latin languages because James has introduced him to the Mother tongue of this family of languages. James has been patient, interesting and creative in getting my son onboard a potential lifelong gift of a deeper appreciation for Western culture through an appreciation of Latin.

Misako T. from San Francisco, CA

James was great with my son. We chose him since he was a former middle school teacher and our choice was just right. He provided proper materials for my son to prepare SSAT tests taking which my son found very useful not only for the SSAT preparation but also for the regular school assignments. James was really encouraging teacher, my son enjoyed sharing and discussing his thoughts and idea throughout the writing projects. I truly recommend this very professional, friendly and encouraging teacher.

Won Young K. from Alameda, CA

I got so much help from today and cannot be anymore grateful. Hopefully I can get more help and get good essay. Thanks for the help Mr. P!

Tanya A. from San Francisco, CA

James comes highly recommended. My son needed an SSAT tutor after taking the initial SSAT in June and doing poorly. We hired James in the fall and he came once a week to work on the verbal sections of the SSAT. He was on time, flexible and engaging with our son. My sons scores greatly improved thanks to James.

Michael B. from San Francisco, CA

James is absolutely terrific. He is always on time and gets right down to business. He sets clear, daily or weekly goals that are achievable but challenging. He also works with students to develop guidelines for essay writing or test taking that can carry them beyond the test. My son loved working with him in advance of his SSAT and now feels much more confident.