Odyssey Middle School Tutoring

Each grade at Odyssey reads an epic poem: Gilgamesh in sixth grade, Beowulf in seventh and the Odyssey in eighth. Our tutors are Stanford students who took many of the same courses not long ago, from pre-algebra to precalculus.

Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.

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We help Odyssey students with math, science, reading and writing, and eighth graders preparing for high school entrance tests. Sessions are one-on-one, at your home in San Mateo, Burlingame or Belmont, or online.

Meet our tutors

Samantha

Samantha

Pursuing a Ph.D. inBioengineering

Tutors Biology · Chemistry · Math

  • Research in deep learning for assistive robotics
  • President’s Undergraduate Research Award
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Raquel

Raquel

StudiesBiology

Tutors Math · Spanish · Writing

  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • Bilingual teaching experience in Spanish
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Anna

Anna

StudiesNeuroscience

Tutors Biology

  • Research internship in Hamburg, Germany
  • Governor’s Scholars Award recipient
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Daniel

Daniel

StudiesElectrical Engineering & Computer Sciences

Tutors Math · Physics · Computer science

  • High-school valedictorian
  • STEM education minor and after-school tutoring
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Preston

Preston

StudiesApplied Mathematics

Tutors Math · Calculus · Computer science

  • Mathematics research fellow
  • Presented at the Young Mathematicians Conference
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Evan

Evan

StudiesPhysics & Applied Mathematics

Tutors Math · Physics · Calculus

  • Independent research in machine learning for quantum computing
  • 4.0 GPA in Physics & Applied Mathematics
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Lesly

Lesly

StudiesMathematics & Computer Science

Tutors Math · Computer science · Spanish

  • Java and Python programming
  • Game development and interactive software projects
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Kathleen

Kathleen

StudiesNeuroscience & Psychology

Tutors Biology · Chemistry · Math

  • Stroke-recovery research in a neuroscience lab
  • Dean’s Honor List
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Sophie

Sophie

StudiesChemical Biology

Tutors Chemistry · Math · Physics

  • National Merit Finalist
  • 5s on 10 AP exams, including Chemistry and Biology
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Oliver

Oliver

StudiesEnglish & Creative Writing

Tutors Writing · History · French

  • Editor-in-chief of a student literary magazine
  • Edited screenplays as a film development intern at Blumhouse
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Ruhy

Ruhy

StudiesSociocultural Anthropology

Tutors Writing · History

  • Fellow mentoring youth in environmental education
  • Camp Kesem volunteer supporting kids whose parents have cancer
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Amy

Amy

StudiesChemical Engineering

Tutors Math · Chemistry · Physics

  • 5s on AP Calculus BC, Statistics and Chemistry
  • Samueli School of Engineering Scholarship
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Connor

Connor

StudiesStructural Engineering

Tutors Math · Physics · Statistics

  • Private AP Calculus AB tutor
  • Co-directed engineering workshops for 4th–6th graders
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Keeping track of an epic

Epics are long, crowded with names and told out of order, and students lose the thread a few books in. Odyssey students also write an original short story in class every week, so reading and writing compete for time. A tutor builds a one-page map of the epic’s people and places with your student, which makes every later essay easier to start. Learn more about our English and writing tutoring.

Water testing in the field course

Odyssey’s weekly field course takes students onto local trails to test water in creeks and ponds. pH is the measurement that confuses them, because the scale works in powers of ten: water at pH 6 is ten times more acidic than water at pH 7. A tutor works through the scale with your student using their own field readings. Learn more about our science tutoring.

Our middle school tutors, in parents’ own words

All reviews
Middle school
A note from a parent

“I have been absolutely impressed by her lessons over the past few months. Lily also loves working with her. She has been making great progress with her programming and writing.”

“I find your tutor quality to be excellent and a perfect fit!”

Vivian C.
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Math · Confidence & connection
A note from a parent

“Our tutor is truly amazing! He is so patient, explains things well, asks great questions, and checks for understanding. Owen really enjoyed working with him and they accomplished so much. This is really a game changer for us! I had high hopes and he exceeded them.”

Meredith K.
Find a math tutor
Middle school
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“Second, our tutor connected with my 8th grade son immediately. What we needed was a mentor and homework coach, to engage my son and keep him focused to ensure concepts were cemented in cranking out homework.”

Pat M.Menlo Park
Find a math tutor
Confidence & connection · School support
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“Fantastic tutoring service. The tutor (who was a Stanford junior) really connected with my son and inspired him to learn. He had some great study tips and was able to help my son raise his grades by quite a bit.”

Pamela T.Palo Alto
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Math · Finding a match
A note from a parent

“She found a perfect match for my son… He is stellar. My son has grown leaps and bounds in math. Our tutor is not only a subject matter expert but teaches very well, highly prompt, flexible when needed.”

Hannah B.
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Math · School support · Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“My daughter went from a C in Algebra II to an A- in one semester. The tutor was great, she really related to my daughter and made learning fun for her.”

Eduardo S.San Francisco
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Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“Very professional service with excellent teachers. My son loved his teacher, called him the best he ever had! I can very highly recommend it.”

Jeannet K.
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School support
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“I am usually not one to write a review, but I wanted to communicate how great Cardinal Tutors was for my child. They had a very flexible plan which helped accommodate my child's needs and I saw a tremendous return (grade-wise) from their services. Could not recommend more highly.”

John Y.
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Math · Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“The tutors themselves have been great: well-prepared, thoughtful and on-time. At each level of math needed, we found these Stanford students to be not just helpful tutors but great mentors as well.”

Christy S.Portola Valley
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Test prep · Math
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“The subsequent long term tutor that we had for pre calc and for ACT tutoring was amazing. She was completely professional, organized, thorough and easy to work with.”

Mel H.Redwood City
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Confidence & connection
A note from a parent

“You have been a wonderful inspiration for Eli and we are very grateful for having you in the past half-year!”

Irene Z.
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Programming · Confidence & connection
A note from a parent

“The program has been awesome for us. Theo loves working with our tutor and has learned so much.”

“Our tutor is just outstanding — great with Theo and very communicative with me. Super helpful!”

Rebecca D.Palo Alto
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School support
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“I reached out to Cardinal Tutors and was lucky enough to find the most amazing tutor. I wish I had found him earlier.”

Sharon C.Los Altos
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Math · Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“We used Cardinal Tutoring again in the Spring 2018 for precalculus. Once again, she had a great tutor she really liked and who really helped her this year. My daughter is a senior so we won't need Cardinal Tutoring again, but I highly recommend them!”

Gail F.Palo Alto
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School support
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“We have had an excellent experience with Cardinal Tutors for the past two years. Neil was very responsive whenever we had any questions. We definitely strongly recommend them and plan on using them again in the near future.”

L F.San Jose
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Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“It was great to find a couple of really smart young women who helped not only with the subject matter, but became great role models.”

Joel S.Santa Monica
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Finding a match
A note from a parent

“You connected Leo with a great tutor and made the process seamless.”

Paula H.
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Finding a match · Math
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“We used Cardinal Tutors and were happy with the level of professionalism and responsiveness we received. The math tutor selected for our son was a good match for him.”

Kerry P.Menlo Park
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Math · Confidence & connection
★★★★★Yelp review ↗

“Perfect fit to jumpstart my son's new habits and attitudes towards math.”

Joyce M.Mill Valley
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Math · Confidence & connection
A note from a parent

“Nora enjoys her sessions with her tutor and it's already helping her confidence with math.”

Alison M.
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Precalculus in middle school

Odyssey paces math to the student, not the calendar, and its Pre-Calculus course introduces differentiation. Middle schoolers who reach it are strong at computing, so the derivative rules come easily; explaining what a derivative means about a graph is where they stall. A tutor asks your student to describe, in words, what the graph is doing wherever the derivative is zero. Learn more about our math tutoring.

Tell us about your student, and we’ll match them with a Stanford tutor who fits.

Find a Tutor