Elite Math Science Tutors

OPENINGS! I might have an opening this Tuesday May 5th. I will also have several other openings in May to replace my graduating seniors who will have finished their AP exams. Many families have to wait months on my waiting list to get a recurring spot with me; this is a great opportunity to get an opening, as I have a number of seniors who will be graduating this year.
I'm a local Santa Monica classroom and private teacher & tutor and have been supporting Santa Monica students for quite a few years now. I have a waiting list for most of the year but currently have a few openings to replace my seniors who will be done with their AP tests in May. My schedule is usually full before school starts, so this is a great time to secure a spot for the 2026 - 2027 academic year.
I know the math & science classes at Lincoln, JAMS & SAMOHI exceptionally well, and additionally have supported many students from the top local private schools including Harvard Westlake, Brentwood School, Windward, Geffen, Crossroads, Marlborough, Archer, and many others.
Call me at 424-253-6373 so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs.
If you are a Santa Monica resident you likely know at least a few families that I either currently work with or have worked with in the past.
I work primarily with AP / Honors high school students and accelerated middle school students. My students are very motivated with solid GPAs.
Many become valedictorian candidates in their senior year of high school. I currently have one opening for a new student and will be adding a few more to my schedule after the AP tests are completed.
I start with many of my students in middle school and privately teach them a variety of math & science classes every year until their senior year of high school.
I teach all math from 6th grade math through AP Calculus BC, as well as chemistry, physics, and biology (All AP level.) Additionally, I cover SAT / ACT prep.
Please call me M - F in the morning so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs. My number is 424-253-6373.
New students should ideally be very motivated "A" students with a minimum of a B in their math /science classes (unless there are extenuating circumstances such as prolonged absence.)
Thanks so much, and I look forward to your call!
Gordon

I might have an opening this Sunday April 19th. If we have not spoken yet on the phone, please give me a call today or tomorrow morning so they can learn more about your son / daughter and his or her needs. I will also have some openings in a few weeks to replace my graduating seniors who will be done with their AP exams. Additionally, I am recruiting students for summer sessions: I do a lot of get ahead prep work during the summer in addition to covering summer school classes. I look forward to speaking with you! Gordon

I've been getting a lot of inquiries lately from parents asking me if their son or daughter should try to skip geometry at Santa Monica High School. I've been privately supporting Santa Monica High School students for many years, and I get a lot of parents asking me for my recommendations regarding the math and science classes that their sons and daughters should take.

I will try to post something in the next few days with my recommendations.

I privately support primarily honors track and AP students from 6th grade through high school, so my recommendations are tailored to this segment of the population. My students tend to get very solid "A" grades in the classes that I cover with them.

The elimination of Honors Geometry at Santa Monica High School is a big consideration in the decision as to whether your son or daughter should try to skip geometry at Santa Monica High School, and I will share with you my observations and give you my recommendations in my next post on this topic. I will try to post it before the end of this week, if I have time.

I'm currently recruiting students to replace my seniors who will be done with their AP tests in early May. If you think your son or daughter might benefit from my support, please visit my page where you can read recommendations from students parents teachers and administrators. It will give you an idea if I might be a good fit for your son or daughter.

I cover all math classes from 6th grade math through AP calculus BC, as well as chemistry biology and physics, all AP level. Most of my students get solid "A" grades in these classes.

I might have an opening this Monday, March 9th. I will also have a recurring opening starting at the end of March. If we have not spoken on the phone in the past, please give me a call so they can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs. Please be sure to read some of my posts, so that you can get a sense of the type of students that I mentor. Thanks, and I look forward to your call! 424-253-6373.

OPENINGS! I will have several openings in May to replace my graduating seniors who will have finished their AP exams. Many families have to wait months on my waiting list to get a recurring spot with me; this is a great opportunity to get an opening, as I have a number of seniors who will be graduating this year.

I'm a local Santa Monica classroom and private teacher & tutor and have been supporting Santa Monica students for quite a few years now. I have a waiting list for most of the year but currently have a few openings to replace my seniors who will be done with their AP tests in May. My schedule is usually full before school starts, so this is a great time to secure a spot for the 2026 - 2027 academic year.

I know the math & science classes at Lincoln, JAMS & SAMOHI exceptionally well, and additionally have supported many students from the top local private schools including Harvard Westlake, Brentwood School, Windward, Geffen, Crossroads, Marlborough, Archer, and many others.

Call me at 424-253-6373 so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs.

If you are a Santa Monica resident you likely know at least a few families that I either currently work with or have worked with in the past.

I work primarily with AP / Honors high school students and accelerated middle school students. My students are very motivated with solid GPAs.

Many become valedictorian candidates in their senior year of high school. I currently have one opening for a new student and will be adding a few more to my schedule after the AP tests are completed.

I start with many of my students in middle school and privately teach them a variety of math & science classes every year until their senior year of high school.

I teach all math from 6th grade math through AP Calculus BC, as well as chemistry, physics, and biology (All AP level.) Additionally, I cover SAT / ACT prep.

Please call me M - F in the morning so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs. My number is 424-253-6373.

New students should ideally be very motivated "A" students with a minimum of a B in their math /science classes (unless there are extenuating circumstances such as prolonged absence.)
Thanks so much, and I look forward to your call!

Gordon

I have two new unexpected openings for 2025 - 2026! Two of my students wanting spots with me had very limited availability, so I had to waitlist them: If I can be of service to you this year, now is the time to call!
I'm a local Santa Monica classroom and private teacher & tutor and have been supporting Santa Monica students for quite a few years now. I have a waiting list for most of the year but currently have a few openings to replace my seniors. My schedule is usually full before school starts, so this is a great time to secure a spot for the 2025 - 2026 academic year.
I know the math & science classes at Lincoln, JAMS & SAMOHI exceptionally well, and additionally have supported many students from the top local private schools including Harvard Westlake, Brentwood School, Windward, Geffen, Crossroads, Marlborough, Archer, and many others.
Call me at 424-253-6373 so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs.
If you are a Santa Monica resident you likely know at least a few families that I either currently work with or have worked with in the past.
I work primarily with AP / Honors high school students and accelerated middle school students. My students are very motivated with solid GPAs.
Many become valedictorian candidates in their senior year of high school. I currently have one opening for a new student and will be adding a few more to my schedule after the AP tests are completed.
I start with many of my students in middle school and privately teach them a variety of math & science classes every year until their senior year of high school.
I teach all math from 6th grade math through AP Calculus BC, as well as chemistry, physics, and biology (All AP level.) Additionally, I cover SAT / ACT prep.
Please call me M - F in the morning so that I can learn more about your son / daughter and his / her needs. My number is 424-253-6373.
New students should ideally be very motivated "A" students with a minimum of a B in their math /science classes (unless there are extenuating circumstances such as prolonged absence.)
Thanks so much, and I look forward to your call!
Gordon

Here is a nice letter written by one of my graduating seniors this year:

I began working with Gordon at the start of my sophomore year at Samo. Immediately, I was impressed with his knowledge of seemingly all of the math and science topics I asked him about. I can’t recall showing Gordon a question that he was not quickly able to explain in a simple and understandable manner, which was a welcome change from many of the tutors I had used in the past. I’ve now used Gordon for tutoring in Honors Algebra 2, Honors Pre-Calc, AP Calc BC, AP Biology, and AP Physics, and owe so much of my success in these challenging courses to Gordon’s expertise.

Putting his math and science knowledge aside, Gordon is a genuinely kind person and mentor. Considering that I saw Gordon for tutoring weekly for nearly three years (and often twice a week during my junior year), it was amazing to have someone who was not only great in the academic department, but who also made me feel comfortable letting him know when I didn’t understand something, and who I could talk to when I needed a quick break from going over difficult content.

It is Gordon’s combination of kindness, knowledge, and high quality instruction that has kept me coming back again and again over these past few years, and is why my younger sister began using Gordon for tutoring when she entered higher level STEM classes. Gordon is well respected by teachers and students for a reason, and although I will miss him in college, I’m so glad I found him when I did—-it certainly saved me from a lot of stress and struggle. I truly don’t think you could find a better high school tutor, and I couldn’t recommend Gordon enough!

- Sydney Roker

Here is nice letter from one of my graduating seniors; I mentored her every year since 6th grade and how she is off to attend college overseas. They grow up so fast! "I worked with Gordon for 6 years, and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the help he’s provided. He works well with all ages and topics and is able to create strong connections with his students.

Those connections, especially as they continued to develop throughout my middle school and high school experience, allowed me to understand and value math and science more deeply and draw connections between subjects.

He has been extremely friendly, fun, kind, understanding, and able to articulate.

Whether Gordon was supporting my success in one of my tougher subjects, like AP Chemistry, completely reorienting my understanding of calculus for deeper understanding, preparing me for my next AP Biology topic, or drilling through 20-minute practice problems in Statistics, Gordon was always able to provide support.

His variety of experiences and breadth of knowledge enable him to help with almost any topic with any teacher or curriculum.

I truly recommend working with Gordon for your children’s confidence, comprehension, and value of math and science."

Megan Crawford

One of my great students wrote this for me to post. She will be graduating this year and off to UCLA!
Gordon is a great tutor. He’s really good at reading people and can tell when you need time to process a tricky concept or when you need a different explanation. Things that are overwhelming in class become simple and manageable during a tutoring session. Plus, he knows all the teachers at SAMOHI and is very familiar with the curriculum. Most of the time he knows the subject I’m doing next in class before I do! Even if you understand that week's topics, you can get ahead and feel comfortable in your classes. I really feel as though he is a huge contributing factor to my excellent test scores and grades in AP Calc BC and AP Chemistry. Those classes killed me and I always looked forward to meetings with Gordon so I could ask questions about the assignments that confused me. He always does his best to help you deeply understand everything, whether that be sketching pictures or simplifying definitions. I would definitely recommend using Gordon as your tutor. Cassidy Walther

Elimination of HP Geometry at Santa Monica High School
SMMUSD eliminated HP Geometry, which is honors geometry. That means instead of having two geometry classes -- a more rigorous geometry class for students who have moved through math on an accelerated path, completing algebra in 7th or 8th grade, and a standard geometry class for those moving along at grade level or behind -- all students are now in the same regular class. This is having a detrimental effect on students who have been on the honors track in ways I will explain below.
I am a former math & science classroom teacher and have been teaching and tutoring Samohi, Lincoln, JAMS, and SMASH students privately for well over a decade in a number of different classes including 6th grade math, 7/8 math, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus / Calc A, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Physics, and other classes. I have had hundreds of AP / HP students over the years.
I know the teachers and the curriculum well and wanted to share my observations regarding the elimination of HP Geometry at Samohi. I also have a suggestion for students in the HP and AP track.
One of the main benefits of a rigorous HP Geometry class is not in the learning of the geometry itself, but in the development of analytic, deductive reasoning, logical thinking, and problem solving skills that are essential for success in more advanced math and science classes.
HP Algebra 2 is several levels more difficult than Algebra 1, and a rigorous HP Geometry class sets an appropriate standard and develops a problem solving confidence in students that HP / AP students bring with them to HP Algebra 2, so that they can maximize the chance of a successful academic outcome.
In the past, I have been very impressed with the Samohi HP Geometry classes in how the teachers have been very successful in getting their students out of their comfort zone, while guiding them along a path that improves their analytic and logical thinking skills making them more confident problem solvers.
In my observations this year, that has all changed with the elimination of the HP class. Some of my students are bored in the class and are not being pushed to achieve their full potential. The critical thinking skills are not being developed to the extent that they were in the past with my students who have taken HP Geometry. These critical and analytic thinking skills are essential in more advance math classes.
I have worked with many HP and AP students for well over a decade now, so I wanted to pass along a suggestion that if possible, students avoid the non honors geometry class if they are on the HP / AP track. Spending an entire year in this class with a lower standard will inevitably have a trickle down effect and not set an appropriate standard for the HP Algebra 2 class that they will take the following year.
Please feel free to give me a call if you would like to talk about your specific situation, or if you would like to speak with me about supporting your son / daughter. I am currently recruiting students to replace my graduating seniors for 2024 - 2025, and usually have a waiting list for most of the year. Gordon