Looking for an Algebra 1 Tutor?

You are in the right place!

If you are looking for an Algebra 1 tutor, this could be the most important webpage you ever read!

By the time you reach the end of this webpage, you will be equipped and empowered with the tools to:

decide if I am the right tutor for your child
avoid the “3 mistakes parents make” when choosing any maths tutor

Before you consider my advice, you may be wondering . . .

Who Am I and Why Should You Listen to Me About Algebra 1 Tutoring?

Hi there,

I’m David Bruere and I’ve been helping kids catch-up, keep up and get ahead in mathematics for over 25 years – 19 of those as a full-time, professional tutor.

My quarter-century obsession with helping kids learn mathematics includes:

delivering 20 000+ hours of face-to-face and online tutoring lessons
building (then abandoning) a math tutoring agency
building (then abandoning) an education centre.

These days I split my time between developing educational resources and individual tutoring.

In addition to vast practical experience, I’ve got seven years university education (mathematics and psychology) under my belt.

Most years about one third of my clients are students tackling the transition from “number math” to “algebraic thinking” that Algebra 1 requires.

Here’s How My 25-Years Math Tutoring Experience Can Benefit Your Child

Helping your child ‘get it’ when others can’t. Over the decades, I have developed a deep toolbox of different approaches.
More progress with less tutoring. Using notes, targeted revision booklets (included in my fee) and other resources makes your child’s lessons more productive.
Balancing step-by-step ‘recipes’ with conceptual understanding . Your child will feel confident knowing what to do as well as why he or she is doing it.
REAL individual attention. All of my experience has focussed on making the most of individual lessons (rather than ‘teaching a class of one’).
Patient and friendly. Your child will learn more when he or she feels comfortable and supported.

Why I Might Not Be the Right Tutor For Your Child

If you are looking for someone to keep your child company while working though questions he or she could have mostly done independently — you don’t need me!

You would be better off with a cheaper, less experienced tutor.

Also, if your child doesn’t use the resources I have spent thousands of hours developing, you won’t get value from that side of my service.

Finally, if you are ‘shopping’ for a tutor based on hourly rate alone (rather than progress-per-dollar), my fee ($120 per 55-minute lesson or $975 for a block of ten) will likely put you off.

Of course, you definitely should compare the value I provide to any alternatives.

You can do that with no risk . . .

FREE 55-Minute Online Consultation

Find out for yourself how I stack up to other options with a free, full-length online lesson.

My promise: no ‘sales pitch’, no daunting ‘assessment’, no hard feelings if your child and I aren’t a good fit.

Your child will get first-hand experience of my tutoring and we can have a friendly chat about your child’s goals.

Just leave your name and email address below to get the ball rolling.

After you click “BOOK MY FREE LESSON”, I’ll respond with information about how to set up your child’s lesson and the best way to prepare.

3 Mistakes Parents Make When Choosing an Algebra 1 Tutor

Whether you engage me as a tutor or not, there are some things you should watch out for when looking for a tutor.

Mistake #1: Thinking someone will be a good tutor just because they did well in maths themselves

Understanding the content is obviously a prerequisite to being an effective tutor. It’s only one small piece of the puzzle, though.

In fact, people who naturally ‘get’ mathematics can be horrible tutors. Everything comes so naturally to them so it is hard for them to break concepts down into manageable ‘chunks’ their students understand.

An analogy: When my son was 5, he had trouble with some aspects of speech. I paid $150 per hour to engage a fantastic speech pathologist. It took about a dozen 45-minute sessions to resolve the issue.

How do you reckon that would have gone if I just took him to someone ‘good at talking’?

Mistake 2: Assuming an Algebra 1 teacher must be a good tutor

If you engage a current Algebra 1 teacher, you are very likely to find someone who understands the curriculum.

Also, a teacher is more likely to clearly explain key concepts.

(Sadly, though, based on my experience running a tutoring agency – neither of the above statements are a given!)

If you engage an Algebra 1 teacher, you still need to check the teacher has the flexibility to uncover exactly what the ‘sticking points’ are for your child and adapt their explanations accordingly. . .

Making the most of individual lessons requires a different skill-set to teaching a class.

How do I know this?

Well, in addition to my firsthand experience hiring teachers back in my tutoring agency days, I noticed something in my education centre days, too . . .

My centre was in Hawthorn (Melbourne, Australia) and most clients were from prestigious private schools (costing parents $29 000 to $38 000 per year).

At those schools, students had extra tutoring / ‘math help’ available from their teachers.

Yet, every day I would hear words to the effect of: “I went to math help and the teacher explained it but I still don’t get it.”

Mistake 3: Ruling out online tutoring

Have you had a horrible experience with poorly set up online lessons or been disgusted with your child’s ‘home learning’ experience during COVID?

If so, I can understand why you might not currently be considering online tutoring!

You might be sceptical that aspects of a face-to-face lesson, like having a tutor watch your child as he or she works through a problem or establishing a motivating and supportive environment, can be recreated online.

Unless your child has had a positive experience with online mathematics tutoring, it is probably hard to imagine how it would work.

The big advantage of online tutoring, though, is that you are not restricted to tutors in your local area.

Many of my happiest long-term clients would have preferred to see someone in person but still found our online lessons far more valuable than any tutor available to see their child face-to-face.

There are aspects of face-to-face lessons I miss but, overall, I have found online tutoring to be more effective than face-to-face lessons. . . when done right.

Just as tutoring needs to be focussed on adapting to your child’s unique situation and learning style, so does the online set-up.

My point is this: It’s worth trying tutors who are only available online and seeing for yourself how the experience compares to face-to-face options in your local area.

Find Out What an Effective Online Tutoring Session is Like in Your FREE 55-Minute Online Consultation

Just leave your name and email address below to get the ball rolling.

After you click “BOOK MY FREE LESSON”, I’ll respond with information about how to set up your child’s lesson and the best way to prepare.

If you have any interest in having me help your child, please pop your name and email in the box above while I still have spots available.

I look forward to hearing from you!