Lesson Details
Vocabulary
- Levels Taught:
- Elementary, Middle School, High School, College
My expertise in vocabulary comes from having learned the roots of English, in Latin, Greek, French, German, Old English, Old Norse, and even some modern Irish Gaelic. But you don't have to learn all those to be a master of vocabulary! I have already done the hard work for you. But my insights into the origins of words and how their usages have evolved will make learning about vocabulary fun and entertaining.
Luke teaches
About
- Teaches students:
- and Ages 12+
- Teaching since:
- 2005
I am deeply passionate about sharing knowledge with others and have been lucky to be teaching my entire adult life. There are so many enriching experiences available to us when we learn more about the world.
Foreign languages are among my favorites, and I have specialized in teaching Latin, Italian, and Japanese. As a geologist, I am also profoundly interested in the sciences. When I teach I like to understand where my students are coming from, what really inspires them, and help them to enjoy and love what they want to learn. For me, learning is always fun, so whether you like to study or you are having trouble motivating yourself to concentrate, together we will discover the joy and fun in what you are studying.
Experience
Avation Officer
Apr 2015 - PresentUH-60L Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the Arizona Army National Guard.
Pilot
Apr 2014 - PresentVolunteer search and rescue pilot for the Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol.
A Cappella Music Arranger
Aug 2009 - PresentI have founded and been musical director for five a cappella groups and arranged a cappella sheet music for those groups and for customers via my website.
Japanese Teacher
Apr 2013 - Apr 2015When I was stationed in Tokyo, I was able to become fluent in Japanese rapidly by means of special techniques I acquired, and turned those techniques into a multi-level course to help other Americans achieve proficiency in Japanese.
Logistics Officer
May 2012 - Apr 2015Led and managed the cargo and passenger movement system at the largest military aerial port hub in the Pacific.
Geology Teacher
Aug 2009 - May 2012While I was in graduate school for my M.S. in Geological Sciences, I taught Intro to Geology courses, as well as tutoring privately.
Latin & Spanish Teacher
Aug 2008 - Aug 2009Taught Spanish and Latin full time at Moravian Academy Middle School, grades 6, 7, and 8.
Italian Teacher
Jan 2006 - Aug 2008Taught Italian classes at Lehigh University after the college cancelled its Italian program. I was the sole Italian teacher at Lehigh University during that time.
Education
M.S. Geological Sciences
Aug 2009 - May 2012B.S. Geological Sciences
Aug 2003 - May 2008Italian Language
Jan 2005 - Jan 2006Languages
English
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Polish
Romanian
Russian
Spanish
Awards
Williams Prize
May 2008Affiliations
Phi Beta Kappa
May 2007The Phi Beta Kappa Society celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its campus chapters invite for induction the most outstanding arts and sciences students at America’s leading colleges and universities. The Society sponsors activities to advance these studies — the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences — in higher education and in society at large.
+ Read MorePhi Beta Delta
May 2007Phi Beta Delta, founded at California State University, Long Beach in 1986, was established as an organization in 1987 with 38 chartered chapters, many of which had existed for a considerable time previously at the local level. It is the first honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievement in international education. As of December of 2012, 192 chapters have been chartered.
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38 Reviews
Write a ReviewReally informative and interesting
Luke is amazing!! He is patient and wants you to learn and get better. I'm going to keep taking Italian with him until I learn everything there is to know!!! :) Best decision ever!
Excellent teacher!
5 star after first lesson
I have a feeling of confidence I can learn with his approach
I LIKE IT
I can be more detailed after a couple lessons ...very motivated after our first lesson
looking forward to reviewing and preparing myself for next lesson
What a great start! Luke is patient, encouraging and made my initial lesson feel fun and exciting.
I had my first lesson with Luke today and it was absolutely wonderful! He is such a great teacher! I highly recommend him if you're considering learning a language!
Luke was Amazing! I having some knowledge of the language but yet still consider myself a beginner. I was thoroughly impressed with his command of the language and also his very easy method of making you understand. I look forward to my many lessons with Luke in the future!
+ Read MoreVery personable and easy to talk to. Look forward to our second lesson!
Great first lesson with Luke. I appreciate that he took extra time to go over everything. Looking forward to the next one.
Great experience!! Great instructor!!
David was super happy and feels super motivated to continue!!
Thanks!!
Good
This was my first lesson and it was great. Very knowledgeable.
Luke is a renaissance man- classics scholar, linguist, teacher conversationalist - and military pilot. I think he's really triplets.
So far so good
We are taking Latin with Luke. He is really great and the lesson is very efficient eventhough it's done online.
Great!
Luke is awesome! He is responsible, responsive, and knowledgeable. My daughter finds him very helpful, and can't say enough good things about him.
Luke was very pleasant and patient and did a thorough job of assessing my current knowledge so that he can tailor my next lessons. I am looking forward to my next lesson aleady!
Great tutor.
Luke is great!! Very knowledgeable and seems to be an expert at linguistics. Instructs very well. He is nice and funny. We would recommend him to anyone wanting to learn one of the several languages he teaches :-)
Luke is a fantastic teacher. He is patient and makes each lesson fun and very informative. His lessons are structured and easy to follow. It's been a pleasure working with him.
Excellent teacher!
This was our first experience with an online course. My son and I were immediately at ease with Luke. I appreciate his enthusiasm.
What a stand up guy! He’s naturally a fantastic teacher and my wife and I feel very grateful to have him as our Italian teacher. He’s extremely courteous, informative and patient. You will LOVE working with Luke, guaranteed!
Extremely knowledgeable, courteous and patient. I've sampled numerous tutors and been unimpressed until now. Very confident I can achieve intermediate/advanced mastery of Japanese under his instruction.
My kids were "meh" about Latin lessons last year. Not any more, they come hopping out of their lesson with Luke happy and bright and excited for the next one. He is encouraging, patient and has a gift for teaching young students. I hope he'll always be their Latin teacher and maybe more!
+ Read MoreLuke has been a fantastic Astronomy teacher! He has been thorough and quick to answer all of my questions, and he has also helped me find other resources to help me with my learning. He is very friendly and a pleasure to learn from.
He is awesome! Can't wait for the next lesson!
Luke is thorough, enthusiastic, and very helpful. I am looking forward to the next lesson. Thanks.
My first lesson! I was actually rather nervous. Luke is wonderful. He makes you feel fantastico! Can't wait for more. I forgot to mention, besides his linguistic skill, I think he is very pleasant in regards to talking with you and helping you feel comfortable and encouraged.
+ Read MoreLuke was excellent, the first lesson was very informative and I already got off to a great start, Luke is friendly and will explain things thoroughly, I highly recommend him.
Luke is a fantastic Latin teacher. I've learned more in my short time with Luke than I did in the three years I took Latin in high school. Luke is very patient and willing to go the extra mile to make sure I understand the future. I've really enjoyed the lessons. If you are looking for a top notch Latin teacher, Luke is your man.
+ Read MoreLuke is such a phenomenal teacher. He takes the time to explain all the material in a manner that is easy to understand and comprehend. :)
The first lesson was great. Luke is clearly very knowledgable about the language, its historical and cultural context...I'm looking forward to the next one already!
First lesson with Luke was great! can't wait to continue on this journey of learning Italian.
Amazing instructor. Finding Luke was finding a gem. His method of teaching is the best, easy and simple way of learning. I recommend without a doubt.
Luke is a A1 instructor. I have reletives in Italy and would like to be able to converse with them better, so I am taking Italian lessons, from luke. Never good at language, but Luke is very patient and teaches at the students pace. Sees that you understand, before moving on. Thanks Luke
+ Read MoreI like studying with Luke. He is patient, makes sure you are relaxed, and will go over anything again and again. He makes sure you understand the words and has you repeat them. He is very knowledgeable. I know I will learn a lot from him. He will even print out the lesson so you can study for the next lesson. I am very happy with Luke.
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