Online | One-on-One | Nationally Award-Winning Physics Educator
Your student isn’t struggling with physics. They’re struggling with how they were taught to think about it.
There’s a difference. And it matters more than most tutors realize
Picture this: it’s 9:30pm. Your student has a physics problem in front of them. They read it once. They flip through their notes looking for the right equation. They find something that looks close. They plug in the numbers. They get an answer.
They have no idea if that answer is right.
That’s not a physics problem. That’s what happens when physics has been taught as a formula hunt — and it’s the most common reason students hit a wall they can’t get past on their own.
I don’t just help students solve tonight’s problem. I help them become the kind of thinker who can solve next week’s problem without me.
Here’s what most physics help looks like.
Student gets stuck. Tutor explains the formula. Student copies the steps. Assignment gets done. Next session: repeat.
It keeps the grade afloat. It doesn’t build a physicist.
The students who actually get good at physics aren’t the ones who memorized the most equations. They’re the ones who learned to ask better questions. What’s actually happening here? What matters and what doesn’t? Does this answer even make sense?
Those questions aren’t in the textbook. Most teachers don’t have time to teach them. That’s where I come in.
The approach I use has a name, The Physics Thinking Method: Observe. Discuss. Investigate. Understand.
Before we touch a formula, we look at what’s actually happening. We talk about it — what it might mean, what it reminds us of, what seems off. Then we investigate. By the time we get to the math, the student already has a picture of what they’re calculating and why.
That sequence changes everything. The math starts to feel like a tool instead of a test.
I teach students how to think. Not just what to do.
A typical tutoring session sounds like this:
“Here’s the formula. Here’s the example. Now try this one.”
That might get a student through tomorrow’s quiz. It rarely gets them through the unit test — because the test will have a problem that looks a little different from the examples they practiced, and suddenly they’re stuck again.
What I teach instead is the set of questions every good physics student learns to ask before they pick up a pencil:
- What is physically happening in this situation?
- What information actually matters here?
- What can I reasonably assume?
- What model describes what I’m seeing?
- What should I expect the answer to look like — before I calculate?
- And when I get an answer: does it make sense?
That last one is more important than it sounds. If your answer says the car is going 800 miles per hour, something went wrong long before the calculation. Knowing that — and knowing how to go back and find it — is a skill. A learnable one.
I adapt to the student in front of me.
Every student gets stuck in a different place. Some have strong math skills but no idea what they’re calculating. Some understand the concepts beautifully but freeze when words become equations. Some have been confused for so long that the real problem isn’t physics at all — it’s confidence.
I want to know which one I’m working with. Because the explanation that unlocks things for one student will completely miss another.
Sessions are built around what that student needs, and may include diagrams and visual models, real-world analogies, guided problem-solving, error analysis, mathematical connections, or lab and data interpretation. Not because those are items on a checklist — because one of them is going to be the thing that makes it click for this student, today.
When it does click, there’s a moment. You can see it. Bingo. That’s what we’re working toward.
Physics tutoring and coaching for:
High School Physics Build a genuine foundation — not just enough to pass, but enough to actually understand what you’re doing. Mechanics, energy, waves, electricity, modern physics, and the problem-solving habits that carry through all of it.
Honors & Advanced Physics This is where formula-hunting falls apart first. Honors courses reward students who can reason, not just recall. We build the reasoning.
AP Physics 1 The AP exam doesn’t just test what you know — it tests how you think. Conceptual understanding and problem-solving strategy are the whole game. That’s where we focus.
AP Physics 2 Fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics — each with its own logic, its own traps, and its own moments of “oh, that’s actually elegant.” Individualized support for each unit.
AP Physics C Calculus-based Mechanics and E&M, taught by an educator with a degree in physics and years of experience with advanced-level students. This is the one where the math and the physics finally have to work together. We make sure they do.
College Physics Whether it’s algebra-based introductory physics or a more demanding first-year course, the goal is the same: understand what’s happening before worrying about which equation to use.
Why I call myself a coach — and what that means for your student.
Tutoring, in the traditional sense, is reactive. The student arrives with a problem. The tutor helps solve it. The student leaves. The cycle repeats until the course ends.
That model has its place. But it has a ceiling.
What I do is closer to coaching — and the difference is in what we’re building toward.
A tutor helps a student get through the assignment. A coach helps a student become better at the thing the assignment is testing.
In practice, that means I’m not just looking at what your student got wrong. I’m looking at how they approached it. Where did the thinking break down? Is it a conceptual gap, or a habit they’ve developed that worked in algebra and doesn’t work here? Is the problem the physics, or is it the confidence to start?
Those are coaching questions. And answering them — over weeks, not in a single session — is how a student stops needing me.
That’s the goal. Not dependency. Independence.
Better problem-solving habits. Students learn a consistent, repeatable approach to unfamiliar problems — one they can apply whether I’m in the room or not.
Greater independence. The measure of a good coaching relationship isn’t how much the student improves while we’re working together. It’s how they perform when they’re on their own.
Increased confidence. The shift I watch for isn’t a grade. It’s the moment a student stops saying “I don’t know how to do this” and starts saying “I know how to start figuring this out.” That shift is everything.
WHAT STUDENTS AND PARENTS SAY
“I found Ms. DeMarco’s tutoring sessions to be very wonderfully structured and designed to help teach me best in a way I would understand. The tutoring sessions helped me immensely and I found both my test scores and my overall grade improving.” — Colleen Campbell, Ball State University
The online sessions were effective and well-managed, the teacher thoughtful, patient, and thorough.”
“Thank you, Mrs. DeMarco, for a real boost to his confidence, as well as to his knowledge.” — Susan Vennari, Parent
A little about me — if you need it.
I’m Robin Christine DeMarco. I’ve been teaching physics for more than 35 years — 20 in traditional classrooms, 15 working with students online.
I hold a BS in Physics and a Master’s in Physics Education, along with New York State teaching certifications in Physics, Mathematics, Earth Science, and General Science. I earned the Cable in the Classroom Crystal Apple Award — a national recognition for innovative teaching — for an interdisciplinary physics lab I helped run on the Genesee River with my students. Because sometimes the best classroom is a river.
I’ve worked with students across every level, from someone picking up physics for the first time and completely convinced they’re going to fail, all the way through AP Physics C and college-level courses. I’ve seen every flavor of physics confusion there is.
But the credentials aren’t what I think about when I’m in a session.
What I think about is the moment — and every teacher knows which moment I mean — when a student who has been quietly struggling suddenly says: “Oh. Now I get it.”
Not because I told them the answer. Because I asked the right question.
That’s the moment physics education is supposed to produce. I’ve spent 35 years figuring out how to get there faster.
How private physics coaching works
Private Physics Coaching
For students who want ongoing, individualized support
I work with a small number of ongoing students each academic year — intentionally. Not because I can’t manage more. Because the kind of teaching I do requires actually knowing the student.
After a few sessions, I know how your student approaches problems, where their thinking tends to break down, which analogies work for them, and what they need to hear when they’re stuck. That knowledge compounds. It’s what separates a real coaching relationship from an appointment on a calendar.
$575/month
Includes:
- One private 60-minute online session each week, at a reserved standing time
- Individualized instruction adjusted to the student’s current course and challenges
- Brief between-session support for quick questions
- A fifth session at no additional charge in months where the calendar requires it
- Ongoing adjustment as goals and coursework evolve
No long-term contract. The monthly plan simply reserves your student’s place in my schedule.
Occasional Physics Tutoring
For specific challenges, exam prep, or short-term support
Single sessions are available when my schedule permits — for a specific unit that isn’t clicking, preparation for an AP exam, or a situation that doesn’t call for ongoing coaching.
$175/hour
Ongoing coaching students receive priority scheduling. Occasional sessions are filled from remaining availability.
A Note on Capacity
I limit my private practice to 10 ongoing students. That number isn’t arbitrary — it’s what allows me to give each student real attention instead of generic instruction.
I’d rather know 10 students deeply than serve 30 students superficially.
Let’s find out if this is the right fit.
If your student is struggling, losing confidence, or simply wants to become more capable in physics — let’s have a conversation.
We’ll talk about what course they’re taking, where they’re getting stuck, and what kind of support would actually help. It’s a conversation, not a sales call. If this isn’t the right approach for your student, I’ll tell you that too.
Physics is not about memorizing equations. It’s about learning how to make sense of the world. Let’s start there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a physics tutor and a physics coach?
A tutor’s job, in the traditional sense, is to help a student get through the problem in front of them. A good tutor explains clearly, works through examples, and makes sure the student can do similar problems before the session ends. That’s valuable — and there are times when it’s exactly what a student needs.
A coach takes a longer view. Instead of asking “how do we solve this problem?”, a coach asks “what about the way this student is thinking is making problems like this hard?” The work is less about tonight’s assignment and more about the habits, the gaps, and the confidence that determine how the student performs when no one is in the room with them.
The difference shows up most clearly over time. A tutoring relationship that’s working keeps the grade afloat. A coaching relationship that’s working makes the student less dependent on it — which is, honestly, the point.
Why do you call yourself a coach rather than a tutor?
Because what I’m actually doing is coaching.
When a student sits down with me, I’m not just looking at the problem they got wrong. I’m watching how they approached it. Did they read it carefully or skim for numbers? Did they draw a diagram or dive straight into algebra? Did they check whether the answer was reasonable — or just write it down and move on?
Those patterns are where the real work is. And addressing them takes time, relationship, and the kind of continuity that a one-off tutoring session can’t provide.
I also think the word coach better describes the goal. A tutor succeeds when the student understands the session’s material. A coach succeeds when the student doesn’t need a coach anymore. That’s the outcome I’m working toward.
How do I know if my student needs occasional tutoring or ongoing coaching?
A good rule of thumb: if the struggle is specific — one unit that isn’t clicking, exam preparation, a single concept that needs reinforcement — occasional tutoring is probably the right fit.
If the struggle is a pattern — if your student consistently hits a wall when problems look unfamiliar, if their confidence has eroded, if they understand things in class but fall apart on tests — that’s a coaching situation. The issue isn’t the material. It’s the approach. And changing an approach takes more than a session or two.
If you’re not sure, the free consultation is the right place to start. We’ll figure it out together.
What does a typical session look like?
No two sessions are identical — that’s intentional. But the shape is consistent.
We usually begin with what the student brings: something from class, a problem they got stuck on, an upcoming assessment. I ask questions before I explain anything. What did you try? What did you think was happening? Where did it stop making sense? The answers tell me far more than just looking at the problem.
From there, we might work through a problem together — but with me asking questions rather than showing steps. We might step back and look at a concept from a different angle. We might work through an analogy until something clicks.
The session ends with the student doing something, not watching me do something. That’s the part that matters.
My student is convinced they’re “not a science person.” Can you still help?
Especially then.
I once worked with a student who was a dancer — absolutely certain physics would be irrelevant to her life and impossible to understand. The first thing I did was look at her dance moves through the lens of physics: the position of her arms, the conservation of angular momentum, why her spin wasn’t completing the way she wanted it to.
We put her on a lab stool, spun it, had her move her arms in and out. She felt the speed increase. Her face changed.
That’s when physics becomes real. Not when you memorize a formula for angular momentum — when you feel it in your own body and suddenly want to know why.
“Not a science person” usually means “no one has shown me physics in a way that made sense to me yet.” That’s a solvable problem.
How quickly will we see results?
That depends on what we’re measuring.
Homework completion and session confidence usually improve quickly — often within the first few sessions. A student who was completely paralyzed in front of a problem starts to have a place to begin.
Deeper changes — test scores, genuine independence, the ability to approach an unfamiliar problem without panicking — take longer. A month of consistent work typically produces noticeable, lasting change. Two to three months can transform how a student relates to physics entirely.
I’ll be honest with you about progress. If something isn’t working, we adjust. If a student is ready to fly solo, I’ll say so.
What if my student needs to miss a session?
Life happens. I ask for as much notice as possible so I can use the time for another student or preparation. Occasional missed sessions don’t affect the coaching relationship. If absences become a pattern, we’ll talk about whether the schedule is working.
Do you work with students outside the United States?
Yes. All sessions are online, and I’ve worked successfully with students in different time zones. We’ll find a time that works for both of us.
Can a parent sit in on sessions?
For younger students, a parent in the background is fine. For high school and college students, I generally find that sessions are more productive when the student is the only one in the room — they’re more likely to take risks, ask questions, and admit confusion when they don’t feel they have an audience.
That said, I’m happy to debrief with parents after sessions and keep you informed about where your student is and what we’re working on.
Physics is not about memorizing equations. It’s about learning how to make sense of the world. Let’s start there.