I am Michael Neaton.<br><br>

The main purpose of this site is to advertise tutoring services.<br><br>

My main experience is (in no particular order) mathematics, writing, chemistry, and (as a testament to education in the United States) test prep. However, I enjoy challenges, and thus have taught students in far-reaching topics. If you would like to know if I can tutor a particular topic, the fastest way would be to call me at 612-703-5607. Otherwise, you may check out <a href='topics.php'>this page</a> for a full discussion of topics I have tutored before or have sufficient experience to tutor.<br><br>

Some people may care about my qualifications. I usually feel like this may be bragging. Thus most such discussion is relegated to <a href='qualifications.php'>this page</a>. A short summary is that I have four degrees, across mathematics, chemistry, and psychology, and have taken over 20 standardized tests usually scoring very well. I have also tutored students from age 4 to about 60 (I, of course, never asked their age). Topics include calculus, middle school grammar, thesis writing, database management, LSAT preparation, NCLEX preparation, ACT/SAT preparation, elementary school reading, organic chemistry....<br><br>

<h3>Tutoring Service</h3>

My <a href='philosophy.php'>philosophy</a> advocates for (usually) one-on-one sessions. These sessions are, thus, highly personalized to a student's needs. A session includes:
<ul>
<li>Lesson preparation on my part, including collection of any materials I feel may be needed.</li>
<li>A full hour-long session (or longer, if negotiated as such). I have offered shorter sessions in particular situations, but I tend to prefer working in hour-long increments.</li>
<li>Homework creation, possibly with attached notes.</li>
<li>Homework checking, if needed (and homework is sent before session).</li>
</ul>
This is my standard setup. Again, as sessions are highly personalized, aspects could be added or removed as needed.<br><br>

In addition to tutoring, I could offer other services. These include:
<ul>
<li>Giving a test to determine how well a student is doing. This is something that parents (or guardians) sometimes desire, and I have a developed test to place a student. It is highly interactive, and hence time-consuming:  If in-person, it takes at least two hours. (Online, with appropriate supervision, a lot of the exam could be provided ahead of session which would decrease the time taken.)</li>
<li>Larger sessions than one-on-one. In particular, I have run sessions (with approximately 30 students) for test prep.</li>
<li>Some sort of essay checking or similar ilk. I have reviewed thesis drafts before, although with such students we still met in sessions to discuss. If one wanted a more streamlined process without a meeting (at a discount), we could discuss an arrangement. Theoretically, this could apply to homework assignments as well (although it would be checking homework, not doing homework for a student).</li>
</ul>
If you have other ideas, I would be happy to discuss with you.<br><br>

<h3>Location and Availability</h3>

For tutoring sessions, I am based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Of course, with online services, I can tutor anyone who has a stable enough internet connection. I am a firm believer that in-person sessions are more productive, but I understand that this is a lot less convenient for everybody involved. For in-person sessions in Arlington Heights, I recommend the Arlington Heights Memorial Library; of course, if we meet outside of its hours, we would have to meet somewhere else. My mathematics advisor had a penchant for meeting in coffee shops (e.g., Starbucks), but anywhere could work. My current schedule is as follows:
<ul>
<li>Monday-Friday during the day:  Online sessions, subject to availability.</li>
<li>Monday-Friday after 7:30pm:  In-person in Arlington Heights, or online.</li>
<li>Saturday before 5:00pm:  In-person in Chicago (near Whitney M. Young Chicago Public Library), or online.</li>
<li>Saturday after 7:30pm:  In-person in Arlington Heights, or online.</li>
<li>Sunday:  In-person in Arlington Heights, or online.</li>
</ul>
I will try to update this, but of course it ignores any students I currently have scheduled (I greatly value privacy). To know if a precise time works for you, you would need to contact me.<br><br>

<h3>Contact</h3>

If you have further questions (or would like to schedule sessions), the best plan would be to contact me in the following order.
<ul>
<li>Call me at:  612-703-5607. If I don't answer, I will return your call when I am next available.</li>
<li>Text me at:  612-703-5607. If I don't answer within the day, probably text me again.</li>
<li>Email me at:  michael@neaton.org. I should answer within the week.</li>
</ul>
It is now on my to-do list to setup a submission page on this website. That'd be cool. However, that would most likely go to my email, which as you can see is the worst option anyway. So it isn't a high priority for me to set this up.<br><br>

<h3>Cost</h3>

Finally, people may want to know about price. As my services are wide-ranging and highly personalized, cost can range quite a bit. Here are two examples:
<ul>
<li>A student preparing for the GRE at the last moment was cramming. We met five times per week. Thus, sessions were offered at $40 per hour (paid weekly):  The GRE is advanced (relatively speaking when one talks of standardized tests), but a large discount was offered due to the large number of sessions.</li>
<li>A student was writing their masters thesis in political science. I have a high familiarity with writing and psychology, but my education in political science is only about on-par with a minor. Thus, not only did I have to put in effort to read the 50 page draft before every session, but I also needed to cross-reference to theories that I was less familiar with. Therefore, preparation was excessive. We met in-person weekly, and the price was $100 per hour.</li>
</ul>
That all being said, my median price is probably about $72 per hour, as a base (see below discounts). This is also the price for a single student; multiple students would not increase linearly, but would be higher in price. I have no regular pricing for multiple students; it would have to be discussed on a case-by-case basis.<br><br>
I have the following standard discounts:<ul>
<li>A regular student may pay for a month of sessions (before the month begins) at a 10% discount.</li>
<li>There is a referral discount of 10%, additive with no cap. For example, if one refers 9 students then tutoring is free (given the above discount).</li>
</ul>
I am always open to discussion if you have special circumstances. Feel free to contact me to discuss your particular situation.

<h3>Materials</h3>

Here, I may upload materials that I have produced for tutoring. As they will be publicly available, this will tend to only be higher quality materials. Therefore, it will only be a small subset of what I produce.<br><br>

A list can be found <a href='materials/index.php'>here</a>. (Note that currently there is very little here.)

<h3>Payments</h3>

If you are a student (or paying for a student) who cannot remember how to pay an amount you owe and don't feel like just calling me, then here I will collect payment methods. I have, in the past, accepted payments in many different ways.<br><br>

My current preferred method of payment is via Zelle. I can accept Zelle payments to my phone number (612-703-5607) or my email (michael@neaton.org).

<title>Tutor:  Michael</title>

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