Experienced, friendly, and enthusiastic tutor for the physical sciences, mathematics, and computing.

Find out more about Cyd

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I started to like science in general when I was about 13 years old; before that I was actually very bad at maths and science. However, with the help and encouragement of some excellent teachers, my love for science grew, and when I was 16 I knew I wanted to either do Physics or Chemistry at University, with a focus on sustainable energy sources. I must say though, I have loved teaching and talking about interesting subjects for as long as I can remember! Even before university, I used to tutor my younger sister, who was diagnosed with dyscalculia and had trouble with maths. As soon as I went to University I started private tutoring, and have been doing it ever since.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  The main two subjects I love to teach are Physics and Computing, since those are what I use for my PhD right now. I'm a plasma physicist by training, but I love to talk in depth about physics of all kinds, and particularly love talking about the difficult concepts of quantum physics and electromagnetism. In terms of coding, my speciality is Python, and I very much enjoy developing a students' thought process when it comes to coding, since I think coding is not hard because of the languages themselves, but because of the problem solving skills required. I also enjoy teaching exam technique, and in general like seeing a student conquering something they previously thought they couldn't do, or something they thought was impossibly hard.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Yes I've been lucky to have so many good teachers over the years. In terms of science teachers, I have luckily had science teachers that were incredibly patient and encouraging, which is what I try to give students. Mrs. Elger, a maths teacher in middle school, told me 'You need to have maths in your future', because she saw that I was good and enjoyed it, even if I didn't see it at the time. My chemistry teacher in high school, Dr. Brown, was an excellent motivator, and told me I would do a PhD in the future; I didn't know it at the time, but he was right!

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  To be patient and encouraging I think are two of the most important qualities. I think most people find subjects hard, not because they are bad at them, but because nobody ever told them they could be good.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  When I was around 14 years old, I absolutely failed a chemistry test. My teacher at the time, Mrs. Keti, pulled me aside after school and took me through the test and asked me every question I got wrong, face to face. Slowly but surely, I was able to answer every question I previously got wrong, and she gave me another chance to retake the test. Having teachers like this, who believe in you, despite a bad day at an exam, despite you not believing in yourself, can really make such a difference.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  I was horrible at maths at an early age, so overcoming that was very hard for me. Still to this day I still find difficult aspects of physics and maths, as everyone does. In particular, I am a very slow learner, which makes me quite nervous when I start a new job, or encounter a new field.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My passion is communication, both for science and maths, but also through arts such as Drama. As well as doing amateur dramatics, and tutoring on superprof, I also work on educational news videos on my field of study: Nuclear Fusion.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P) ?

  Hopefully my patience, flexibility, and enthusiasm!