About Me

I'm Brian Urrutia, an educator with ten years of teaching experience at the college, high school, and middle school levels. Whether I was teaching Ancient Greek or Latin, Language Arts or Philosophy, I have always been compelled to help students acquire the skills necessary to give them new perspectives on problems. In my time in the classroom, I found myself planning more and more one-on-one time to meet with students in class, break their work down into doable doses, and provide simple and immediate feedback, tailored to their own challenges. I found this approach more rewarding for both me and my students. I started Tutorrutia, a one-on-one online and in-person tutoring service, to provide this level of support for students of all ages and levels.

Learning is the most profound type of growth we humans can undergo. It casts our inside and outside world in a new light. But it is not easy. After all, we learn most from our mistakes. And so the greatest learning strides are made in environments where our mistakes are given attention and there is ample time— and practice— to improve. As a tutor, that is the fertile learning environment I strive to create — where a student can explore their mistakes, focus on learning the material, and gain the confidence they need to get back on track.

As an adult, I continue the learning process myself. This year, I've taken up surfing. And while I love it, as far as skills and execution go, I stink! But that's good because I believe, "I err, therefore I learn." As a beginner, I have to reserve patience for my mistakes and focus on a few skills to improve at a time. If I set my expectations too high, then I'll be slowed by a tide of frustration and negative self-talk. So even though I spend most of my time thrashed between board and wave, inhaling salt water, I'm getting better, bit by bit. I'm encouraged by my progress and incremental success, which makes me eager to jump in and try again.

And that's exactly the attitude and outcome I work toward for my students.