I was tutoring a student in Cheval in North Tampa yesterday. He's a great kid with some very cool toys.

I've always been a PC, but I really liked using his Apple i-Pad.

We were working together on a writing assignment that required a little research, and I used the i-Pad to browse the web.

Image created by Chad Kainz and licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 Generic.

Nice. Fast. A lot easier to tote than a laptop.

Having one would also be very useful to look up ISBNs when I'm treasure hunting in used bookstores.

Of course, an i-Pad would be cool to use when I'm tutoring SAT or ACT.

Eric Anderson is a Tampa Language Arts tutor in New Tampa, Carrollwood, and Wesley Chapel. He tutors students of all ability levels. Reach him at Tampa tutor at Tampa bay dot rr dot com or by calling 813.787.8959.

        

I was trying to help out one of my long-time history and English tutoring students and got connected with an outstanding Clearwater, FL physics tutor.

For those looking for great AP and Honors (and regular of course) Physics tutoring, e-mail Charles at stechar at G mail dot com.

Photo created by Hashmil. See more of his pics on Flickr . Licensed under Creative Commons.

Here's a note about Charles:

If your son's or daughter’s physics grades aren’t what they could be, hire an ace tutor. Charles teaches AP and Honors Physics at one of the best private high schools in Clearwater.  His time to tutor is limited, so he can only take the first three students who ask.

 

E-mail Charles at stechar at gmail.com. He's a superb Clearwater, FL physics tutor!

        

I know this space is mostly devoted to SAT tips designed to help students improve their scores on the SAT writing and SAT critical reading sections, but one of my students shared a tip that he has been using on SAT math.



(Image by D. Sharon Pruitt of Pink Sherbet Photography . Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Only 2.0 Generic.)

For equation problems that he is working by plugging in the answer choices, he starts with choice C. Because the SAT answers are in numerical order, starting with C lets him quickly tell if he needs to move up or down from that point.

Either way, he knows that one of the two remaining answers is correct.

Nifty!

I don't really know much about SAT math because I don't tutor it at all, but I thought this SAT prep tip was quite clever and might help a few of you do better on SAT math.

What do you think? Would you use this strategy?

If you need help in preparing for the SAT math, feel free to give me a call at 813.787.8959 if you are in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, and I will refer you to an outstanding SAT math tutor.

        

She wanted to write better DBQs. I just got some wonderful news. She rocked a 5 on the exam!

I'm proud of her and grateful that her parents found me when they typed in "Tampa AP European History tutor" into the InterGoogle!

If these are your dogs, or you need help preparing for the European AP History Exam in Tampa, call Eric at 813.787.8959.


Image from the photostream of Anulla, creator of the blog Blather from Brooklyn. Image licensed under Creative Commons and completely safe for children.

        

I am helping one IB student with her summer reading. Instead of trudging to the bookstore or library to get the books that we needed, I tried a website for trading paperbacks that's at  http://www.paperbackswap.com.

Image created by K is for Kristina, a Sumo Wrestler from Canada. Image Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution No Derivative Works 2.0. See more of Kristina's photos on Flickr.

As the name implies, you can list your books on the site and trade them with other users for free. When you list 10 books, you get two free credits. Books are generally one credit each, so I was able to get one of the two books that I needed  for free. (They didn't have the other one, but I'm not complaining.)

The site is also great way to get rid of a lot of books that I no longer want. The site has a nifty system that lets you print out postage and labels for the books that other members want, so you can mail the books you're trading to other members without making a trip to the post office.

I know that this post has very little to do with Tampa SAT tutoring, but I thought the resource might interest those who want to save a little money on summer reading books.

If you are looking for an affordable SAT or ACT tutor in Tampa, FL, call Eric Anderson at 813.787.8959.

 

        

A few of my students just finished taking their SATs and ACTs and I am glad to have a little break from private SAT tutoring.

My wife teaches at one of the middle schools in Wesley Chapel, FL, so I'm really happy that she's finally off for the summer.
Today we hit some garage sales in the lovely Stagecoach subdivision.


This image created by Mike Johnson of The Busy Brain . Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Only. Mike on Flickr.

For me, garage sales are mostly about hunting for books.  I've collected so many books this year.  Maybe summer will finally give me the time to read a few. One of the books I hated in high school was The Great Gatsby. I re-read it tonight because I will be tutoring a student who needs help with it next week.

It will never be a favorite of mine, but it's a much better book than I thought.

What's on your summer reading list?

Eric Anderson is a private Tampa English Tutor serving students in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, and Temple Terrace, Florida, as well as surrounding neighborhoods. Contact Eric at 813.787.8959.

        

I haven't ever seen a question on the SAT Error ID section that tests the difference between continual and continuous, but it's good to know.

Image of Deepwater Horizon Fire courtesy of US Coast Guard 8th District External Affairs and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Only.

• Continual means occurring from time to time or intermittently.

While we shared an office, I grew weary of her continual comments about my poor eating habits.
The British Petroleum workers attempting to repair the broken oil pipe have faced continual setbacks.

• Continuous means over a stretch of time without ceasing.

After 45 minutes of continuous exercise, the fat man collapsed.
The oil has been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico continuously for 51 days.

If your son or daughter is preparing to take the SAT, PSAT, or ACT in the fall, why not use this summer to get ready? Contact Wesley Chapel English Tutor Eric Anderson at 813.787.8959.

        

I've have decided to devote a section of my office bulletin board to notes that I receive from students. Okay, only the good ones .

I'll have to clear some space because I just heard from one of my writing students about her SAT results.

This image was created by Nina, a photographer from Sydney, Australia. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic, Nina on Flickr.

Yippee!

When she and I started working together, she had a 490 on SAT writing. For several months, she has worked really hard on both writing and reading, but her payoff came on the SAT writing test!

She raised her SAT writing score to a 620!

If you are the parent of a sophomore who plans to take the SAT next year, why not use the summer to review for the SAT with a private tutor?

Eric Anderson, Tampa English Tutor, can help your son or daughter master the writing and reading sections. Her can also refer you to Tampa's best SAT math tutor . Call Eric at 813.787.8959 or email him at tampatutor at tampa bay dot rr dot com.

        

All school year, I have been working with one of my favorite students to improve her writing. Today she shared some exciting news. She earned a perfect 6 on her FCAT Writes, and she received an award from her school as the top student on her team.

Image by Photos8.com. See more Photos8 images on Flickr . Licensed Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

She always does more writing than I assign, so I'm not surprised that she earned the top score on her FCAT Writes. Today was our last session until August, so I have an opening to take a new writing student this summer.

If your son or daughter would like to become a better writer, contact Tampa Writing Tutor Eric Anderson at 813.787.8959 or e-mail him at TampaTutor at tampa bay dot rr dot com.

        

I was working with one of my favorite tutorees yesterday. She is a tremendously gifted student.

At any rate, the lesson we were working on was about commonly confused words. We were using a book (Blanche Ellsworth's English Simplified) that one of my writing teachers at Stetson used in her expository writing class.


This image licensed under creative commons and taken by PedroRibeiro Simões. See more of his photos on Flickr.

One of the questions concerned the difference between canvas and canvass. Although, I have never seen an SAT question on this difference, I think it's still worth knowing.

• Canvas is a type of cloth. The tent was made of canvas. The jeep had a canvas top.

• To canvass is to visit an area to collect votes or measure support for a political candidate. The volunteers canvassed the neighborhood for State Senator Victor Crist.

If you would like to improve your writing or to prepare for the SAT or ACT this summer, contact Eric Anderson, Wesley Chapel, FL SAT Tutor at 813.787.8959 or at Tampa tutor at Tampa bay dot rr dot com.