Welcome to the Classroom

About PHG Tutoring

Meet R. Philip Grizzard, Ph.D.

I love tutoring math. It’s as simple as that.

I am fully qualified to tutor any math course from middle school up through the college graduate level. This includes the entire calculus sequence and well beyond, as well as math-heavy courses like statistics. (While there are a few highly advanced, upper-class college math major courses I might be less comfortable tutoring, always feel free to reach out so we can discuss it!)

While diving into high-level material is incredibly fun, what sets me apart from many Ph.D. mathematicians is how much I enjoy working with students who are struggling with the basics. Over my decade of experience as a professional tutor, I’ve worked with hundreds of students. I have learned exactly how to meet a student right where they are—whether that means figuring out how to prove a vector space or simply re-learning how to add fractions—and building their confidence from there.

On a Personal Note...

I grew up right here in Normal, IL, and graduated from Normal Community High School in 1994. Later that summer, I met my wife, Christine (a native Normalite herself!), and we’ve now been married for over 19 years. In 2015, we welcomed our son, Zachary—who is actually a big reason I decided to expand my business to include other tutors!

When I’m not tutoring, I serve as the part-time campus minister for AGAPE/Judson Fellowship at ISU. I’m also a massive baseball fan and have been an avid runner ever since my high school track and cross-country days. I enjoy writing in my free time, which might explain why some of the pages on this website are a bit long-winded!

As for my retirement plans? I’d like to… do some math tutoring.

Education & Credentials

Education

2007: Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Illinois at Chicago (Taught: Calculus I & II, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra)
2000: M.S. Mathematics, Illinois State University (Taught: College Algebra Math 119 and Finite Math 120)
1998: B.S. Mathematics & Math Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Certifications & Professional Organizations

State of Illinois 6-12 Education Certified
Mathematical Association of America
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
American Mathematical Society (Life Member)

Recent Academic Work Experience

2011–Present: Tutor & Manager at Ph.G. Math Tutoring (Bloomington-Normal, IL & Tucson, AZ)
2010–2011: Founder and Tutor at Ph.G. Tutoring (Tucson, AZ)
2010: Instructor, Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ)
2007–2010: Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Arizona (Taught: Math in Modern Society, Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Linear Algebra)

Who We Tutor

Pre-College Students

I have professionally tutored essentially every math course offered at the middle and high school levels. I’ve proudly worked with students from Normal Community, Normal West, Bloomington, Central Catholic, U High, Olympia, Lexington, Ridgeview, LeRoy, Tri-Valley, Prairie Central, and several local middle schools.

I also offer dedicated preparation for standardized exams, including:

PSAT Prep
SAT Prep
ACT Prep
GED Prep

College Students

I am qualified to tutor virtually any undergraduate math course. Over the years, I’ve worked with students from Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, Heartland, Lincoln, and various online academic programs. I also help students prepare for major exams like the GRE, the GRE Math Subject Test, and the first Actuarial Exam.

Specifically for ISU students, here is a sample of the ISU math courses I have tutored professionally (Note: my qualifications are not limited to this list!):

Foundational & Algebra: Math 104 (Intermediate Algebra), Math 119 (College Algebra), Math 144 (Precalculus)
Reasoning & Logic: Math 113 (Elements of Mathematical Reasoning), Math 130 (Dimensions of Numerical Reasoning), Math 160/260 (Discrete Mathematics), Math 210 (Symbolic Logic)
Calculus & Advanced Math: Math 121 (Applied Calculus), Math 145/146/147 (Calculus I, II, & III), Math 175 (Elementary Linear Algebra), Math 236/336 (Abstract Algebra)
Statistics: Math 150 (Fundamentals of Statistical Reasoning), MQM 100 (Statistical Reasoning)
Education & Exams: Math 152, Math 201 (Teaching Math in Elementary School), ALEKS Exam Prep, Content Exam Prep, Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) Prep