Donald

Christin H. from Hampstead, NH

Don has been a fantastic tutor and we couldn't be happier that we chose him to help with our daughter’s math SAT prep. After just a few sessions with Don, our daughter’s confidence in her abilities increased as did her speed in solving math problems. When my daughter first met Don, he began by observing her work through math problems so that he could understand how her thought process worked. It is by this practice that Don was then able to identify her weaknesses and/or strengths and build from there. Along with helping with math, Don was also able to teach our daughter SAT test-taking strategies that helped her bring her scores up in Critical Reading, Writing, and Math. She scored an 800 on the Reading component on her last SAT. If you are looking for help in any subject, you would be very fortunate to have Don as your tutor. Aside from being very kind, calm, and patient with his students, Don has a way of explaining concepts that can change the way the student approaches problems.

Massie Z. from Newton Center, MA

Don's profile says "students tell me that I help them to become more successful than they ever thought possible." Well as a parent, I can tell you that I feel strongly that Don had material impact on how well my son did on his ACT test. He could not have gotten the very high score he did without Don's tutoring. Don's ability to recognize patterns of weakness, coach my son on how to improve them, recommend material for him to read, test him again, and advise him on what he missed had great impact on the ACT score and has helped him in other ways too. Here are a list of noticeable improvements: 1. On ACT English, Don helped my son have a better understanding of grammar and punctuation, while he helped him figure out how to decrease making incorrect decisions. As he was figuring this out, I noticed that he was much more confident about this subject. 2. On ACT reading, Don taught my son to focus on the big picture before he he dives into the little ones. He also taught him to have a better understanding of what the author was trying to communicate, which helped him be much better in answering the questions. I highly recommend Don as a tutor overall, and for ACT specifically.

Homaira N. from Boylston, MA

My daughter previously took an LSAT course from one of the LSAT preparation companies. The score on her practice exams and her understanding of the questions did not really improve. Don worked with her on each section individually and monitored her progress He is a very talented and caring teacher. My daughter had some learning techniques that she needed to let go of. Her final LSAT score improved from her beginning score by about 10 points. Don helped my daughter by investigating which errors she was making and why she was making them. He picked up on issues and taught my daughter skills that a standardized course really didn't cover. Don tirelessly worked with her on problem areas until those areas were strengthened. Now that the exam is over, we’re very excited and looking forward to applying to some top law schools this year! My daughter and are so grateful for Don’s help.

Parisa T. from Brookline, MA

Don has been my ACT tutor for a few months now and my scores have significantly improved in a relatively short time. He works hard to understand how I think and work through problems, then tackles the issue. He does this by allowing me to work on my own as he observes, then shows me what to do next time to be more successful. This has proved to work much better than simply teaching one way to get the right answer. In fact, he goes through multiple ways of getting the right answer if I have trouble understanding the first method. He is particularly helpful in the science and English sections, as they were my lowest scores when we first began and now both scores have increased by at least 3 points. In addition, Don has introduced me to many ACT books that give thorough reviews in areas which I need improvement that I would not have found on my own. Overall, Don goes above and beyond any other tutor I've had because he truly cares. I highly recommend him to anyone serious about improving their ACT scores.

Deb D. from Sudbury, MA

Don is the greatest! Our daughter has significantly improved her performance in her honors algebra 2 class. We are extremely pleased. Don not only has mastery of the subject matter, but also of encouragement and building self esteem and confidence. Our daughter went into her final exam confident in her abilities and without "test anxiety", we owe this all to Don. Acknowledging that each individual learns differently, Don is flexible and adapts his teaching methods accordingly - something that is attainable in neither public nor private educational facilities (we have experience with both). While Don's hourly rate may be more than others, his time is worth every penny and more! Thank you Don!

Dianne O. from Weston, MA

My son attends a prestigious NE prep school and noted Donald as the single best teacher he has ever had. After reviewing mistakes made on the math section of the SAT, Donald explained to my son in great detail patterns he saw in his work that needed attention. Don's one page summary of the 2 hour session clearly summarized his strengths and weaknesses. In addition, my son now mindfully approaches the problems and found almost immediate improvement on his practice test following the tutoring session. Donald rocks!

Melissa M. from Somerville, MA

Through WyzAnt I have taken a couple tutors but none of them come close to compare to how amazing Don was. He was very patient and honest throughout our sessions together. Don went out of his way to help prepare me for the LSAT. I was very shocked to see how quickly he was able to see the pattern of errors I was making to answering certain questions in the exam. Immediately he gave me useful methods on how to answer the questions effectively and in a quick manner. I love how Don was great at getting straight to the cause of the problem and able to resolve any issues I was having with the exam. I must admit the LSAT exam was one of the most difficult exams I have ever taken. I know for sure that with the helpful assistance of Don, I was able to improve tremendously. Along with helping me prepare for the LSAT, Don helped me with my applications for law school. Since I am the first from my family to attend law school I had no idea how to write a proper admission paper for law school. With a few short sessions Don and I brainstormed on ideas and in the end the essay turned out incredible! I honestly will never forget Don; he truly did help me and made a huge impact in my life. I would recommend Don to anyone! He is the most extraordinary tutor ever!

Rakesh G. from Southborough, MA

When I first took the SAT last May I performed poorly because I did not know how to actually take the test. I was looking for help and fortunately my dad found Don to help out. From day one he trusted that I could do well with his help and my determination. The reason Don was so helpful to me was that he did not try to teach me some pre-determined style to improving my score on the SAT, but instead he analyzed my learning style in order to teach on a deeper level. When I did not do well or performed well Don was there to push me and remind that I could in fact a lot better than my scores indicted. This approach served to increase my confidence as a test-taker and as a student in school. Donald in the summer encouraged me to study the GRE study guide and at first I thought would be waste of my time but I realized that by studying the GRE, a test much more complex than the SAT, I started to perform better on the SAT simply because my perspective on the SAT changed. I took the SAT again this fall and had a 300 point improvement. Don had taught me a lot over the summer and when I sat down to take the test I knew I was a smarter test-taker. My score had improved a lot and even if it did not I would be happy with what Don taught me because he improved my writing and many other skills that I could use throughout my college career and even after that. He is the best tutor I have ever had and recommend him to anyone who is willing to put in some work.

Justin H. from Lexington, MA

After we moved to Lexington a few years ago, we realized that our son needed to adjust to the school system's high academic standards. Since then, the middle school kindly arranged several meetings for us to meet his school teachers. They informed us that his English reading and writing were about 3-4 grades below his classmates, which is a big obstacle to his academic success. Although the Lexington middle school has two programs that specifically help him with English learning since then, we thought he still needed tutors in order to catch up with the other students as soon as possible. Over the past a year and a half, we hired three tutors. They were all helpful for our son's English learning. But we believe that Don is the best tutor. After only five lessons with Don, we can already see a big improvement, especially in his English writing, which we believe is the most important skill for his future career. Our son feels very confident about his writing now and can easily write a two-page essay in one to two hours every week. Before studying with Don, we couldn't imagine that he could write even one such paper, no matter how long he spent. In addition, our son has also started reading more challenging books that he did not dare to touch before, such as The Scottish Chiefs. This is a huge improvement for him in only one month. We enthusiastically recommend Don to parents who want their kids to overcome English learning obstacles at a fast pace.

Walter H. from Boston, MA

I worked with Don on business writing and storytelling after my first year at Harvard Business School. I was pleased when he created a custom learning plan for me during the start of the first lesson. I expect he can do this for other subjects, as well. He makes every minute count during a lesson. As helpful as his tutoring was, his optimistic temperament impressed me even more. He gave me a safe, calm environment for learning. I recommend that you work with Don. His lessons will help you meet to your goals, and his encouraging energy will enable you to achieve your dreams.

Deon Y. from Lexington, MA

Don is one of the sharpest tutors I've ever met in my life! He is knowledgable, caring and effective. I moved to MA from CA in the beginning of the school year and the new, competitive learning environment stressed me out. Before I started my tutoring session, I had a C+ in my AP WH class and totally lost my confidence. However, after I met Don, everything started to change. During our first lesson, he was able to accurately point out some main problems on my writing without reading my paper and quickly gave me some effective solutions in an one-hour session. As we worked together, my essays became more detailed and concise. By the end of the second quarter, my grade had increased from a C+ to a solid B, and I earned a 5 on my final AP exam, which was something astonishing! I appreciate everything we have done together and believe in that he is the type of tutor that students are looking for.

Jameson C. from Boston, MA

Don is a great teacher. He has an innate ability to see things from the students perspective and explain to the students where their thought process has gone awry. And to do this in a way that the student can understand. I was struggling with my LSAT score and after a three hour session with Don I was able to see where I was going wrong. He explained it to me so simply and clearly that I was shocked I hadn't noticed it on my own. It was a true "aha" moment. After I explained to him my thought process on the incorrect answers he was able to "get in my head" and help me fix my own thought process. With Don's help I went from in the 60th percentile to the 93rd percentile on my LSAT. A jump of close to 20 points. There is no doubt in my mind that this jump is due in a large part to Don's help, and I believe I could have scored even higher had I gone to Don earlier and had more tutoring sessions with him.

Griff R. from Chestnut Hill, MA

Donald was a great asset to have while preparing for my final exam. We met for 2 hours and in a very relaxed and knowledgeable manner, he helped provide real life examples to all the hypothetical problems that had been confusing me. Thanks to him I went into my final exam ready and confident.

Chloe M. from Andover, MA

Don is very patient, and know a wide range of knowledge. He helped me to prepare for my TOEFL test and college essays. His suggestions are extremely helpful on my TOEFL test and my score improved from 84 to 103, which, even to myself, is very surprising!

Michelle D. from Wellesley, MA

Donald has been very helpful in teaching my daughter in preparing SAT English writing section. With his effective teaching method, my daughter was able to improve her scores in her second try on the SAT. I would recommend Donald for SAT tutoring.

Steven W. from Weston, MA

Donald is the most knowledgeable teacher I've ever seen. He is patient, kind and incredibly nice. Because my parents and I are recent immigrants, we can't speak English very well. Fortunately, we met Donald and he taught me a lot of knowledge, which is not only from the book, but also from the American society. Even though sometimes I can't understand clearly, he will repeat it again and again and use lucid language to explain it, until I can absorb it completely. Also, if my parents have any questions, he will answer them as many as possible. Sometimes, some questions he can't response immediately, he will take notes and research them deeply, because he doesn't want to give us wrong or incomplete answers. In addition, he helped my mom to get ESL lessons and drove there with my mom at the first time in case she couldn't communicate with the teacher well. When I have lesson with him, he always asks my mom how is the ESL class going. We really appreciate him. Highly recommend him! He is the shortcut for all new immigrants who want to learn English and American culture! We feel lucky to have him.

Shari M. from Burlington, MA

Don goes at a comfortable pace. He reads my son well and helps my son from where he is ready for. He is patient when my son gets frustrated and helps him to stay calm and enjoy writing.

Theresa Y. from Sharon, MA

Don is not only incredibly knowledgeable, he makes learning fun! My daughter feels the bond with the tutor from the beginning. Kids need to be encouraged, and he knows how to do it. After each lesson, we can see the difference Don can make. We feel very lucky to have him.

Mira L. from West Newton, MA

When I asked my son how he would review Donald, his words were 'brilliant'. He says he is extremely knowledgeable and wonderful teacher with a very wide breath of knowledge. In addition, he was very accommodating to my son's schedule and helped him navigate through some difficult AP material. We highly recommend him.

Tania P. from Brookline, MA

Donald is a really great tutor! He is easy to reach, always reply my emails really fast. He is very patient and always put so much effort in helping me understand materials even when sometimes the time is not really convenient for him to tutor (rush deadline) but he is always willing to help. He explains the materials step by step, and in an easy comprehensible language (especially because I'm not a native speaker), that really makes it easy for me to grasp an understanding. He has had a lot of first hand experience in the business world that gives really insightful perspectives on the business cases I encounter in class. Overall really awesome tutor! Highly recommended for writing, structuring, grammar and business materials.

Nita P. from Westwood, MA

Our son is 14 and presently in a great private school that ends in 8th grade. He will be going to the public high school starting in 9th grade next year. Since we wanted him to keep up the high academic level that he has been used to, so we started looking for tutors. In finding Donald, I think we hit the jackpot. He has an incredible command over the subject matter and systematically breaks down a writing assignment. The very detailed, yet concise summaries he writes promptly after the tutoring session are extremely helpful. They let us know what was covered during the session and what our son needs to work on for the following week. Donald is extremely kind and caring and goes beyond the call of duty! For Donald teaching is not a job, it's a calling, and that makes all the difference.

Benjamin B. from Portland, ME

Extremely understanding of the student's needs. Particularly perceptive in determining how a student learns and how to adapt to the bar exam.

Tamsin S. from North Easton, MA

Initial meeting was very informative. Looking forward to progressing and achieving goals with confidence that Don can help. My 15-year old daughter felt very comfortable and already respects his opinions. She is eager to do the work needed to achieve success.

Christine B. from West Newton, MA

This is the first lesson for my 9th grade son who needed help writing an outline for a History Essay. He asked for information before the lesson so he could prepare but my son didn't follow through with the request. Nonetheless, Donald was very present and accomplished the task without going the full 2 hours. This was delightful to my son who had feared 2 hours would be overkill for his attention span. We would use Donald again.

Kyle R. from Quincy, MA

Given the time constraint on the GMAT, Don stressed the importance of applying intuition and relying less on formal practical skills to solving problem sets.

Eric H. from Medford, MA

Donald was very supportive and patient; he went through an entire diagnostic LSAT with me before suggesting concrete solutions to improve my results. He listened to what I thought and based his advice off of both what he observed from my diagnostic test and from what I recognized as my weaknesses. I would highly recommend him for LSAT tutoring.

Fadia E. from Mendon, MA

Though having a few complications in setting up, Donald helped me with all of my son's questions and taught us about stuff we didn't know about.

Michael G. from Waban, MA

Don was gracious, kind, patient and knowledgeable. Every child who studies w/ him will better understand the subject matter. Kudos Don!