Steven

Berkeley Graduate, Programmer, Experienced Teacher

$88 / h
63 reviews
5438 rating s
Valencia , CA ( 91355 )
40 miles

I have 21+ years of experience as a software developer and 15+ years as a teacher. My focus is in programming as it applies to academics, job appliactions, and USACO competitions, as well as real world uses. I regularly help industry professionals and students of all ages in C, C++, Java (including Processing, Karel, and Greenfoot), HTML, CSS, JavaScript (including p5, node, jQuery, and AJAX), PHP, Python (including Pandas, Numpy, and Jupyter), SQL (Many different versions), C# (for console a...

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Subjects offered by Steven
Reviews

ACT Math

algebra 1

algebra 2

ASP.NET

C

C#

C++

CBEST

I took my CBEST after 2 weeks of preparation and received a special commendation for outstanding score. The math section focuses on arithmetic, algebra, measurement, and geometry, all of which I actively tutor/teach. The reading section largely focuses on critical analysis and comprehension, which I can help you prepare for by teaching you a few tricks on how to pull apart these passages more quickly. For those who are struggling with English as a second language, I have my TEFL certification and 5 years of classroom experience teaching, so we can also practice English to help prepare for the essay sections.

computer programming

computer science

DOS

Dreamweaver

elementary (k-6th)

I have 5 years of experience teaching K-6th level in the classroom, my CBEST & TEFL teaching certifications, as well as several years of private tutoring in that age range. I am currently pursuing my teaching credential. My teaching method for younger learners focuses on educational play and capturing the child's attention in order to get them excited about going further.

elementary math

This is by far my favorite subject to teach, and as such I have some very strong opinions about how it should be taught. I have had my best learning results from students in this age group, however I earned my degree studying artificial intelligence, which included a wide background in statistics, psychology, memory, mathematics, physics, and logic, and much of my professional career has revolved around taking complicated procedures and tearing them down into tiny steps. My students include software developers and database engineers, but my favorite students to work with are the 4th and 5th graders who can't seem to understand fractions. At the moment I am working with a 4th grade student who has brought her grade up from an F to an A in 2 months, and another student whose math class has branched out to include math as it applies to building simple robots, playing chess, learning to solve a rubik's cube, and basic probability and physics concepts. When you divide and "bring down the" next number, or when you multiply large numbers and leave a space on the next row, do you understand WHY you do it that way? Can you multiply left to right instead of right to left? Can you draw me a picture to show me what happens when you multiply 1/3 by 1/2 and how that's different from multiplying 1/2 by 1/3, and why the answer is 1/6 either way? If you can't, that's fine, in fact most people can't. However if your student's math teacher can't, they shouldn't be allowed to teach the subject. I've found that many teachers just throw elementary math into their subjects because "it's easy", which is unfortunate. When students inevitably get confused by some of these wacky procedures, the most common response I've heard from teachers is "because that's just how you do it", which is basically like admitting they don't understand it either. 1st through 6th grade math is the foundation that all math understanding is built upon, and entrusting it to someone who don't understand how or why ANY of this stuff works the way it does is doing your child a disservice. Trusting your child's education to a teacher whose only qualification in teaching long division is that they "know how to do long division" is giving them a weak foundation that will compound into frustration well into high school and the rest of their lives.

elementary science

ESL/ESOL

I have 5 years of experience working abroad, teaching English as a foreign language to students of all ages. My teaching method involves complete immersion, coaxing the student into using the target language to respond and repeat, I have a complete Syllabus that starts with "I/You" and 1-10, and ends with more advanced conversation tailored to the student's interests.

GED

general computer

geometry

Most people find Geometry extremely confusing when it's first introduced. Children learn about and recognize shapes from a young age, but the way we use numbers and formulas to measure and calculate these shapes is often unintuitive or confusing. I took Geometry in 9th grade together with 10th and 11th grade students, and carried the highest grade in the class. I use Geometry often in video game design, calculating angles and trajectories of cannon balls and flying birds, as well as calculating the placement of objects and graphics on a dynamic webpage. I'm passionate about teaching Geometry to everyone, from 3rd graders trying to get ahead, on up to adults who need a refresher and are wanting to sit down with their children (or grandchildren) and teach the concepts themselves.

grammar

HTML

Java

Linux

Microsoft Excel

Perl

phonics

I have taught phonics as part of an ESL program for years, and phonics is typically the go-to for teaching English as a second language, or reading to adults. However, many children learn to read and sound out words organically, skipping over phonics entirely. Learning to read through phonics alone has some limitations, as the English language draws words from many different languages that have different pronunciation rules (For example, Bruschetta is often pronounced with the German "sch" as in Schnapps, but it is actually an Italian word and should be pronounced "brut-SKET-ta"). While it is nearly impossible to be able to recognize the country of origin for EVERY word, and to teach every countries pronunciation methods, a solid foundation in Phonics can help people figure out a word assuming it's a word they already know.

PHP

physics

prealgebra

Prealgebra is usually the first math class where students start feeling like math concepts are "too hard". It covers a wide range of seemingly unrelated and complex ideas, and yet teachers at this level typically do not specialize in math, math specialists do not typically teach at this level, parents can't remember how to do all this stuff, and most tutors struggle to interact with the 4th through 9th grade age range. I love Prealgebra, I use it often in video game design and programming, in pencil and paper games, and picking apart finances and expenses. I have 10 years of teaching experience, and I'm passionate about teaching Prealgebra to everyone, from 3rd graders trying to get ahead, on up to adults who need a refresher and are wanting to sit down with their children (or grandchildren) and teach the concepts themselves.

precalculus

PSAT

psychology

reading

SAT math

SQL

TOEFL

trigonometry

UNIX

Visual Basic

vocabulary

web design

writing

finite math

Teaching finite math requires a broad base in mathematics, since it's designed to handle real world situation. I'm a bit of a math hobbyist, and since I also write software that reflects real world situations, I often play math games or write out simple models using math for normal day to day things, whether trying to find statistical models for situations at work, or the most efficient way to mow my lawn, or handling complex financial situations to maximize profit potential. Whatever your level is, I can help you understand use of finite math.

Python

JavaScript

CSS

Computer Gaming

JQuery

Brianna W. from Madison, WI

Steven was extremely flexible and accommodating. He was able to squeeze me in last minute and gave me very thorough help. He made sure that I understood the fundamental concepts of MySQL as well as verifying uncertainties through professional SQL documentation review on the spot. I really appreciated the seriousness he approached the tutoring, but at the same time, he was fun to work with. He has great rates and gave me an excellent deal which was great. I definitely recommend him for any help with all things programming related! He will be my go to tutor in the future. Thanks again!

Yanto L. from Boston, MA

I was very lucky to find Steven as a tutor to help understand Arduino. He is very knowledgeable about the subject and has a lot of experience as a tutor. He has also shared a number of important resources, both online and his past experience. He gives me clear explanations to all of my questions which a lot of times asking subjects that are outside Arduino. He was very flexible about scheduling as well, which was much appreciated. I highly recommend him as a tutor!!!

Rebecca P. from Canton, OH

I can't say enough about Steven. An excellent example of how a child/ adolescent, or even an adult need's to learn and understand. A professional, educated, intelligent man, yet so down to earth, approachable, and humble. My son Joshua is at the end of his freshman year at Green High School, and was having a lot of trouble with the way his Pre Algebra teacher is teaching the "one way" all children learn approach. He was not getting it, he was feeling overwhelmed, falling far behind, and feeling defeated. He basically gave up. I talked to the teacher's, the counselors, the vice principal, and had gotten nowhere. My intelligent son was now facing summer school, so I decided I'd try anything else I could to help him. And then I found Steve. A God send!!! He has taken my boy from defeated, and given up, to understanding all concepts, and reasoning behind Algebra, Science, even Language Arts, due to this excellent, patient, proactive, thought provoking, as well as kind tutoring. Because of Steven getting into my son's head, and with his knowledge teaching my son how my son is capable of learning and understanding, Joshua will finish this school year strong, capable and knowledgeable of all the content in his Pre Algebra, Science, and Language arts classes, and now has the confidence, self esteem, and life lesson, that he is capable of learning, pushing himself to finish strong and has gained the benefits of hard work. I guess I can say enough about Steve lol, because without him, Joshua would not be graduating to the 10th grade, and feel confident that he can succeed!!!

John P. from Chicago, IL

Great overview and examples. I cant wait to work on more examples with him in the future. Also very available for lessons

Jared M. from Osseo, MN

Steven met with me on literally no notice and instantly jumped in and started to help me. He was knowledgeable and was explaining things in terms I could understand. I plan on using him in the future.

Erin C. from Big Bear Lake, CA

Steven was able to clearly communicate where I was going wrong and how I needed to improve w/o giving the solution. He taught me more in the short lesson than I have learned in an entire course. Will certainly contact him again.

Haya K. from Kent, OH

He helps me with the TOEFL test, especially reading section, and he was cooperative and helpful. I hope to complete more lessons with him.

Kelly L. from Albrightsville, PA

Knowledgeable and communicates the information in a way that is easy to follow. Very pleased! Definitely looking forward to future sessions.

Rebecca P. from Canton, OH

Vikas G. from Englewood, CO

Objective C and it was very helpful. I will take more help from him in future. He is a excellent resource.

Ricky M. from Rockville, MD

Steven was patient with explaining the java code and extremely helpful. I was stuck on a data structures and analysis assignment and he was able to get me through it.

Randy B. from Lake Oswego, OR

Helped to figure out how to transfer my web site to a new location. Also to set up a new site with a lot of the old information, which will save us a lot of time.

Susan C. from Akron, OH

Steven was very knowledgeable, answering all of my sons questions. He also was very accommodating. I am very happy and grateful for his help.

David J. from Tucson, AZ

He is very patient and takes the time to explained the reason behind each topic instead of just claiming that it is what it is...

Kiwi L. from Alhambra, CA

Nice, informative, flexible and helpful! Needed clarification on Oracle SQL as I'm taking Accounting Informatiom Systems class and Steven was kind enough to look over my required materials before the lesson started to get a better grasp of my project. Would ask him for help again when I need it.

Sam D. from Herndon, VA

Helping me with the intricacies of PHP, Steven shared his knowledge and tips on how to navigate this tricky subject.

Camille S. from Austin, TX

Steven went above and beyond my expectations in helping me with optimizing my website. I have worked with several web dev instructors from different schools, online tutoring, etc. He helped me with frustrating problems other instructors who are working in the industry couldn't solve. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable, and I will definitely be contacting him on a regular basis for more tutoring.

Minh L. from Atlantic City, NJ

My Java tutoring session with Steven is the best experience I've had using Wyzant. Steven is very knowledgeable and patient. He truly cares if you understand the subject matter. Not only will he help with current assignments but he will go above and beyond to help you with any concerns that you may.

Nicholas S. from Boca Raton, FL

I had a PHP programming homework assignment that I could not figure out how to complete by myself and Steven not only helped me to complete the assignment step by step, but also reviewed the major concepts along the way so that I understood everything well. I highly recommend this tutor for any kind of PHP or other programming help. Very knowledgeable, patient, and efficient.

Hannah J. from Greenville, SC

Steven was so helpful especially since I contacted him in a last minute panic for a web design assignment. He was prompt and well organized. He walked me through my code, explained errors, and then step by step showed me how to do MSQL tables. He didn't move on until till he was sure I understood, and I really appreciated it. This lesson was the first time all semester I haven't felt totally lost. I plan to work with him for the remainder of the class, and highly recommend his services to others struggling with web design.

Stephanie G. from Logan, UT

Steven worked through my assignment with me and at the end he wrote out the steps so that I could review what we went over. My assignment took quite a while because of my professors preferences but Steven helped me through it and made sure my assignment was working and that I understood before he logged off.

Steven M. from Greenville, NC

Steven is a Great Tutor. Although my C++ project was a complex time, he took time to troubleshoot it by diagnosing one small segment at a time which actually enabled me to learn more about the C++ coding and not just the question I had.

Margo E. from Latonia, KY

My son enjoyed the lesson very much. He normally has a very short attention span, he was fully engaged the entire lesson. Steven was very patient and understanding of my sons special needs.

Lucy R. from Rockland, MA

Steve truly deserves a five star rating. He's very patient and have great knowledge of what he teaches. I really enjoyed his use of technology to help me online. I recommend him to everybody.

Kourosh K. from Canoga Park, CA

Very kind and worked with me to fix my problems. He does great work in a short amount of time.

Glenn M. from Du Quoin, IL

Steven was a great help with Javascripting. He was prompt, polite and didn't waste any time getting to what I needed to learn and understand,. I will be asking for his help again in the future. Thanks Steven

David T. from Fair Lawn, NJ

Before I began working with Steven, I was overwhelmed by the amount I needed to learn in order to move forward with my web design project. I could read the textbooks and even the "for Dummies" textbooks but putting all the different languages together was daunting. With Steven's help, I was able to get back on track. He explained the purpose of each language and then demonstrated how they worked together. He was also amazing at helping me debug problems. He would explain his own step by step thought process so that I would be able to debug future problems myself. I felt that my abilities improved with each lesson. I have also been very impressed by how quickly Steven responds to me and how flexible he is in setting up lessons which fit my schedule. Steven is an excellent tutor and I highly recommend him.

Reed B. from Conroe, TX

Very helpful in walking me through each step of writing the program and seemed very knowledgable despite not having previously worked with jes.

AJ K. from East Lansing, MI

Steve has you break the problem down step by step so that you're understanding what you're doing every step of the way.

Rhonda S. from Upper Marlboro, MD

Steve was extremely responsive - he responded on Thanksgiving day and was able to meet less than 24 hours later!

Kris M. from Knoxville, TN

Steven was very good at helping me to understand the material. He showed me each step and clarified the process. I will be setting up more sessions with him.

Rawi B. from Dearborn Heights, MI

Steven Helped me with PHP. He knew everything I asked about and explained everything I needed.He went above and beyond,explaining everything in detail, answering all my questions and making sure I understood everything.Would definitely recommend him.

MICHAEL D. from Mckinney, TX

Steven is exceedingly knowledgeable and patient. He understood my goals as well as provided helpful feedback that gave me clarity. Since I am a total newbie to PHP programming, and new to coding in general, Steven provided a comfortable environment to learn as well as ask questions. I would highly recommend him to anyone!

Robert M. from Arnold, MD

Steve taught me some syntax errors in Python that I can avoid in the future and helped debug a program that I was struggling with for awhile. He was very nice and patient as well, concerned with helping get in my program in time. I will definitely contact Steve again for future problems!

Ratnasiri G. from Virginia Beach, VA

Steve is very concerned about kids satisfaction and very good with communication. Trying to make complex process simple and gave something to work until next lesson from first day itself.

Jerry S. from Longwood, FL

I couldn't have asked for more. There has been a difference with him tutoring me. Things start to make more sense.

Zakaria H. from Charlotte, NC

Steven M. really helped me understand how to program using Blue J. I know I'm going to learn a lot with him teaching me. He is a great, kind and amazing person.

Mary M. from Rancho Santa Fe, CA

My son needed AP Computer, Java, help and he was a great help. He's flexible which is perfect for a high schooler schedule with sports. He's very knowledgable.

Pia S. from San Francisco, CA

My assignment was quite complicated but he was very patient and determined to help me solve it. I will definitely use him again!

Ryan D. from Denham Springs, LA

The best instruction to give anyone is to practice. Steven was a big help, and I would request his help again!

Francis G. from Atlanta, GA

Nice Job explaining the thought process with SQL. You made everything clear in terms of what had to be done and it will be easy to review how the code works.

Lisa A. from Arlington, VA

Steven is very knowledgeable about WordPress and is happy to share what he knows. He has tons of practical experience with blogs and WordPress. I wasn't sure if my fledgling site had the right them, and Steven helped me find a new one and set it up. He had great ideas and has me up and running. I'm going to meet with him again in two days to continue my work on the blog. Definitely recommend!

Angel F. from Metairie, LA

Steven always ready and eager to assist me with my class with his broad knowledge and skill. It's great to work with Steven. Thanks

Mari P. from Rockville, MD

Steven thinks very logical and takes the steps to follow the chain of events to get to the heart of issues.

Cole P. from Washington, DC

Very quick response and extremely helpful lesson. Explained everything very well and understandable. Very knowledgeable about coding and computer programming.

Webster H. from Charlotte, NC

Steve was a great guy and nice to talk to. Also very knowledgeable of programming languages, in this case SQL. Definitely planning on doing more sessions.

Moyses S. from Philadelphia, PA

He is definitely one of the best! No doubts about it. Patient, intelligent and knows how to make an lay in coding understand everything.

Cody N. from Columbus, OH

We looked at problems from class, and I got help on spots where I was stuck. The explanations will help for quizzes and tests, too.

Sidney B. from Stockton, CA

Steven saved my life. I'm a computer science major in college. He has helped me keep up with my class work. He has helped me start to understand coding. I went though many tutors. Non of them hold the knowledge that Steven has. They were a waste of time. I would recommend Steven to any student having trouble in computer sci contact Steven. He is a blessing for me.

Patrick S. from Lake Worth, FL

Very patient and explains SQL is other ways so it is easier to understand. We go to him with other questions in the future.

Daniel K. from New Brunswick, NJ

Steven helped me to do coding for javascript assignment. We shared screen through software called join, and he went through all the code that I needed to write and explain it once again after we're done. It was quick, efficient, and really nice. Thanks Steven.

Stan C. from Okeechobee, FL

C++ is getting much easier. Steve answers all of my questions and even develops examples so that I understand thoroughly. Highly recommended!

Annette C. from San Diego, CA

He is very nice, and friendly. He had the patience to talk to me and go through all my notes and work in order to improve it. Highly recommended

Hunter J. from Colorado Springs, CO

Tought me about some common Java data structures and walked me through an assignment that I was having a lot of trouble understanding. He was a great tutor, patient and extremely helpful.

Kristen K. from Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Very helpful and devoted. Even though it was late and short notice, he was still willing to help. Very knowledgeable in programming.

Staunton B. from Chicago, IL

Over a number of sessions, I found Steven had a fast amount of capabilities for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, as well as other environments. When it was appropriate, Steven was able to breakdown complex concepts to very understandable portions. I would highly recommend Steven.

Gisela R. from Leonardtown, MD

Steven was professional and knew just what I needed to accomplish the tasks for my project. Excellent teacher, easy to understand.

Jeff W. from Tampa, FL

Difficult project in programming and wasn't able to help. He helped me a lot in previous assignments and definitely recommend him.

James Z. from Escondido, CA

He had a clear understanding of what he was doing and was able to explain clearly what he was doing and address any further questions I had. Was flexible with the constraints of my program as well.

Lee C. from Oxnard, CA

I only spent 15 minutes with Steven and he was able to show me exactly what I needed. I will definitely be retaining his services.

Jude F. from Charlotte, NC

He was really good at explaining everything his doing plus he could have stretch out are appointment for extra money but he didn't. I really appreciate that. I will use him again.

Terry A. from San Rafael, CA

Steven has been able to help my son overcome issues with learning to program in C++. It's been very nice to see him become more confident and increase his desire to continue to pursue his goal. Thank you Steven.

David C. from Lewisburg, PA

He was able to translate my terrible professor's lecture into meaningful information. I could not have passed my class without his help