I hold an MS in Applied Mechanics from Moscow Civil Engineering University and an MS in Applied Math from San Jose State.
I have 20 years of classroom teaching and home tutoring experience. Currently I am a math instructor at the College of
San Mateo and a faculty member at Classic Math School, where we use Russian education methods to supplement the public school
curriculum. I am familiar with the home school program. Most of my school age students attend Terman, Jordan and JLS Middle as
well as Gunn and Palo Alto high schools. A few of them continued to take lessons online when they went away for college. I teach my
students math concepts and problem solving skills and help them to advance in class. I prepare for ISEE, SSAT, SAT, SAT 2, AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12,
AP Calculus AB & BC, AP Statistics, GRE, AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Physics C and other tests.
For very strong and very motivated students I offer program in Physics and Math along the MIT courses
When I meet with a new student, I test both knowledge and the ability
to problem solve. I pay close attention to the clarity of writing and drawing.
I make sure that students understand core concepts and practice
until they get consistent results.
Once basics are covered, I move to more challenging problems. I select
interesting problems from various textbooks and handouts that I have collected
over the years.
I assign homework and give students the opportunity to
ask targeted questions after they have had a chance to think about various ways
to solve the problem.
I encourage my students to bring any problems they
find amusing to the lesson. I provide hints instead of answers.
I use traditional Russian academic methods of delivering material,
best described by I.M. Gelfand, a brilliant math educator who
inspired me throughout my teaching career:
"Some of my American
colleagues have explained to me that American students are not really
accustomed to thinking and working hard, and for this reason we must make
material as attractive as possible. Permit me not completely agree with
this opinion. From my long experience with young students all over the
world, I know that they are curious and inquisitive and I believe that if
they have some clear material presented in simple form, they will prefer it
to artificial means of attracting their attention."
Here is a few words from one of my colleagues about my style in the classroom:
"I first became acquainted with Mr. Ionel in his position of math lecturer in the mathematics department. He was a respected member of our department.
Mr. Ionel is a strong teacher with an excellent knowledge of mathematics. In class, it was evident that
he was comfortable teaching and had a good rapport with his students. He answered questions easily that students posed and often responded in kind with related
questions. He did not give lectures that were solely teacher centered in that he would write exercises on the board and asked the students to work on them at
their desks. He walked around the room examining the student's progress, often giving hints and words of encouragement. I especially admired his skill at asking
pertinent questions of the students while he was lecturing. Mr. Ionel insisted that his students come prepared to class and evaluated them fairly. This was
appreciated by the department. I gladly recommend Mr. Ionel."
Dr. Linda Valdes
Department of Mathematics
San Jose State University
"I have worked with Eugene
as part of my position as a chair of the math department at Athenian High
School. Eugene taught Geometry in the summer. This is a very challenging course
that lasts 6 weeks, 3 hours daily. Eugene selected a textbook that was a very
good fit for the course and used a variety of other materials that helped
students to discover geometry for the first time. Eugene has a remarkable
ability to explain new concepts and keep students interested in spite of the
level of difficulty. He enjoys the subject and interacting with students. His
sense of humor is contagious. Eugene never gets tired when it comes to
learning. He loves to work on the most challenging problems from various math
completions including Berkeley Math Circle, The California Math League and The
American Math Completion. He is very patient with students as long as they are
willing to learn; this quality was greatly appreciated by parents and students.
I enjoyed working with Eugene, and we continue to exchange ideas and resources.
I am grateful that I got to know Eugene and believe that all his students are
very lucky to learn from such a talented teacher and mathematician."
Rostislav Smirnov
, Mathematics Department Chair, Athenian School