Click on any name to view full letter of reference for Jason McDonald, the math tutor. Currently serving Maine's greater Portland area.
"The results of Jason's work that I have witnessed from a teacher's perspective have been dramatic. I have witnessed two of my students in this course raise their letter grade a full grade since they started working with Jason. The increased confidence that I have observed in these students has changed the way in which they participate in class. Jason's clients have benefited in their grade from increased participation, and have truly become leaders in the classroom."
"Jason is an extraordinary tutor. Jason is very familiar with the concepts of the Algebra II and Geometry text books and has been very impactful with helping students master the skills. Many of Jason's students have developed a positive attitude towards learning in the classroom. I would give Jason my highest recommendation as a tutor."
"Jason has the ability to quickly and accurately determine sources of a child's learning difficulties. In the case of our sons, this allowed him to set up individually tailored programs and work through issues one at a time until they had mastered the appropriate skills. This was the case whether the issues were knowledge issues or study habits. Jason's patience and encouraging manner helped [one of our sons] gain confidence in his own abilities and greatly increase his self-esteem. At the same time, his grades went from "D's" to "B+" and better."
-Dawn Mahowald, parent of middle school and calculus student
"Jason does not just help with homework. He met with the teacher, reviewed Jim's current work and developed a plan to help my son. He found the gap in Jim's earlier math experience that lead to his difficulties and built from that point. . . Before Jason, Jim was at a "D" level and while motivated in math was now lacking confidence in himself. A few weeks into the sessions, my son came home from one smiling and was so happy and proud of his work with Jason, he gave me a math lesson! Soon his weekly tests in class were improving from "D" to "B" quality work. His first "A" test was cause for celebration."
"We had tried several tutoring and reading programs and been through several special teachers at school. [Our son] was struggling in every area of scholastics. We had him diagnosed several different ways for problems with eyesight or trauma etc. . . from being extraordinarily gifted, to ADD to low mental capacity. Jason was the first and only tutor who ever made a distinct, measurable difference in my son's performance. For the first time my son looked forward to doing his studies because it was fun. . . My son's math grades soared. They improved in a few weeks from D- and F to A's. [Jason] had the ability to mix fun with work and keep my son's attention, as well as instilling a desire for success. I can't say enough about Jason's expertise and whole-heartedly recommend his tutoring services as being the very highest quality."
"I feel I can wholeheartedly recommend Jason for his depth of knowledge in his subject area, his teaching techniques, and his demeanor as a person. I do so without reservation . . . Jason can help students to not just finish homework, but strives toward complete understanding of math concepts. Jason uses his "bag of tricks" in his earnest effort to assist students take in information in whatever way they may learn best."
"Jason has a natural enthusiasm for teaching and an excellent ability to communicate with people. I witnessed his patience while working on some difficult ski lessons, and his ability to maintain creative approaches when a student had difficulty. Jason's sense of humor and good nature tends to bring people out, and allow them to open up to new ideas. Jason also has a good sense of organization and planning. He sequences his activities according to the students needs and always tries to include fun into the plan."
" . . . he is genuinely willing to listen to his students and follow through with their needs. Because of his sincerity in working with children and adolescents, he creates a strong student-teacher relationship that encourages open communication. Jason truly enjoys the content of what he teaches which makes his enthusiasm for the subject contagious."
"My confidence on the material went way up, and I started to feel as though I could do all of the problems myself. At the end of the year, I had a chance to get a "B". All I had to do was get a decent grade on the final. I feel as though Jason not only taught me how to do the current math problems, but also helped me discover my own way of learning. Jason taught me valuable study skills, he taught me how to think for myself, and gave he gave me great confidence in all my classes. He is a great tutor, and I would recommend him to anyone."
I am taking this course for the third time, and this is the only year that I could find a tutor who did a good job explaining to me how to do the problems, not only with him, but also in class. Jason has been my tutor for two semesters now, and helped me to raise my math grade from a D to a B the first semester. My confidence in Math has improved this year and I don't have to rely on a tutor as much as in the beginning. Jason has shown me how to use my resources so I don't have to panic when I don't understand something. I met with Jason less the second semester and was able to get an A- more independently.
" . . . I grasp concepts fairly easily I just don't become comfortable with them by test time. You helped me with that as well. The technique in which you did that impressed me- having me teach it to you rather than you sit and lecture me. I knew the material; I was just not testing well. . . I am better acquainted with my learning process through your encouragement and my own confidence that evolved in our two months together. I was able to study better for my future tests, and actually rose to the top of the class."
"He made learning fun almost to the point where I looked forward to going to class each day. I felt confident and proud of my accomplishments. It was worthwhile too. My first year with Jason I raised my D average to an A average."
