Cherish B.

Cherish's Bio & Tutoring Experience

My name is Cherish, and I am an experienced tutor for students at the high school and college/university levels. I am a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine, with a focus on European and World History. I have years of experience working with students one-on-one, both online and in person, and in the classroom setting.

Former students include those studying for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the ACT or SAT exams, and general humanities and social science classes for high school and college. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, I worked as a discussion section instructor at the University of California, Irvine within the History, Art History, and Religious Studies Departments. I also work with students on college admissions application preparation at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

In my experience as a high school tutor and undergraduate instructor, I found that having good two-way communication with students facilitates the learning process. Often, classroom teachers work to get through a standardized curriculum while managing a large classroom. In such situations, students can feel that they are not getting the individual attention they need in order to understand and retain the material for future use. Even fewer students effectively learn the methods of analysis needed for advanced classes and college coursework. Many teachers and tutors tend to lecture or “talk at” their students rather than allowing the student to ask questions or otherwise engage with their own learning.

My students have taught me that an effective tutor must engage in several practices in order to produce good results. Tutors should listen to their students. I regularly ask my students to explain to me how they understand a concept before I attempt to answer their queries. Open discussion is also important. Two-way conversation helps both parties, in that the tutor can better assess the student’s needs, and the student can think about the topic in an informal way. I often use analogies and examples when explaining difficult concepts. Sometimes when a student struggles with information from class, the instructor may have been unclear or used unfamiliar terminology. When a student asks me for clarity, after giving the “textbook” answer, I will try to think of alternative ways to consider about the problem, using pop culture, current events, or other relatable things in the answer.

Cherish's Expertise

Cherish's Education & Certifications

BA (History) - California State University, Northridge
MA (History) - University of California, Irvine
PhD Candidate (History) - University of California, Irvine

Cherish's References