Ian is an experienced tutor of test prep, study skills, math, Spanish, and writing.  Ian graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in anthropology, earning high honors and high distinction in general scholarship. He teaches essay writing to elementary, middle, and high school students, prepares students for the SSAT and HSPT, and assists with high school and college admissions essays. As a careful observer of life, Ian enjoys helping students train their eye to language as they brainstorm, write, and edit essays, both for school work and for school applications. He also has a talent for explaining math concepts to middle school students who consider themselves more humanities-oriented. Ian has worked with students who have learning differences, and he enjoys understanding or even uncovering each student's learning style.

Previously Ian lived in the UK, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong. He has maintained an interest in Buddhist meditation and philosophy for most of his adult life. In 2000, he spent several months traveling around South Korea taking photographs of temples and hermitages, which were eventually published in two books on Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism in 2002. He still practices meditation, but as the father of an elementary-aged child, he now finds he has less time for it than he used to. On the other hand, he has discovered that parenthood is a great opportunity to put into practice Buddhist principles such as mindfulness and compassion.

Ian is a calm, patient, and empathetic person with a wry sense of humor and a wide experience of the world, who has a genuine commitment to helping your child to succeed academically.

“Exceptional in his ability to teach to different learning styles and calm and supportive demeanor make his lessons enjoyable. Ian is extremely professional, timely and considerate.” - Parent

"Ian worked diligently and beautifully with both our son and daughter. He was always very encouraging, thorough, and a pleasure to work with for both me and my wife. We highly recommend Ian." - Parent

"I thought Ian was fantastic! I learned a lot from him and I felt like I was with someone with whom I could ask questions. He helped me with a number of skills that I used multiple times during the test and I am ahead with a few concepts in math." - Student

"Ian was great!  He was very helpful in both math and language, teaching strategies but also coming up with scenarios to help with verbal retention.  He had a nice mix of being serious and on task, but also allowing for fun conversation and banter. And, the results were worth the invested time and money." - Parent

"Ian helped our son feel totally prepared for the SSAT through a combination of analyzing practice tests question by question, developing thoughtful strategies for each section of the test, and giving our son focused homework to prepare for the test.  He really knows the material, has a great feel for how to push a student, and combines this all with a wry sense of humor." - Parent

"We were very happy with Ian.  He provided the tutoring, homework assignments, and feedback that resulted in significant improvements in our daughter's SSAT scores.  We were under some time pressure and he successfully consolidated material to get quick results.” - Parent

"Ian did an excellent job with our daughter.  He was able to build her confidence and explain crucial test-taking strategies and skills.  Under his tutelage, she was able to increase her scores by 56 percentage points.  Incredible!  My daughter's performance improvement far exceeded my expectations.  She is even a more confident student in school as a result of posting a strong SSAT score." - Parent

"Ian was a great fit for [my daughter] and his quiet and patient tempo removed the stress that was building up over the SSAT.  He was punctual and professional with great follow-up- a pleasure to work with!" - Parent

"Ian helped our daughter with the reading section of the SSAT.  What my daughter liked the best is that he not only told her the correct answer, he told her why the other answers were incorrect.  This overall approach really helped her understand how to tackle the reading section of the SSAT.  He was kind and patient." - Parent

"Ian was a great fit for our family, not only for our daughter. He understood our routines and adapted to them. He absolutely got our daughter's learning style, and always encouraged her to go the extra mile, with a reassuring smile. He gave her confidence and at the same time listened to our adult doubts. He is a great person and tutor." - Parent

 “Ian is a wonderful tutor! He is engaging, encouraging and thoughtful in his explanations.” - Parent

“Ian was a good match with our son. Ian had a good understanding of our background, which helped [our son] to work with Ian comfortably. He made sure [our son] worked hard, but also he was accommodating. [His] SSAT score was high on the first test, thanks to Ian!” - Parent

“Ian was the perfect Tutor for [our daughter]! She loved working with him, and he really helped her prepare for the SSATs. She did so well as a result of Ian’s patience and skill as a tutor. We couldn’t be happier!” - Parent