About TMT PDX
Tutoring Services

Our Mission

TO PROVIDE THE BEST IN-HOME AND ONLINE PORTLAND QUALITY TUTORING TO ALL STUDENTS EVERYDAY

The TMT Story

When Take Morikawa moved up to Portland from sunny San Diego in February of 2018, he was already a seasoned tutor. Having experience in everything from tutoring students in SAT/ACT tests to teaching dyslexic students calculus, both in classes and one-on-one, there was no doubt in his mind that there would be a need for his services. That’s why he started TMTutoring... but just like everyone else, he had to make a living and establish himself in the area. So he also worked for other tutoring institutions and connected with local tutors.
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Unintentionally, this is how he came to realize the issue in the Portland area. Portland tutors are either very good and extremely expensive or cheap and very bad, there’s rarely an exception.

Several times while talking to very qualified tutors in the area, Take asked why they were charging the rate they were. The answer? “Because we can” or “because they keep coming”.

Our rate is not cheap, but it is fair. Further, if there’s a student with serious dreams and ambitions, but they simply don’t have the resources, we will be there for them. Everyone deserves a chance. Everyone deserves to have Portland Quality Tutoring.

Photo of Take Morikawa tutoring from a book

Our Core Values

Provide quality tutoring

by hiring only those who are serious at becoming the best tutor for their students. In order to ensure top quality, we hold training sessions and continuously peer review our tutors.

Achieve goals and produce results

by being flexible and learning from mistakes. Every student is different and learns differently. We’ll take the time to understand our students and be patient with their progress.

Give all students a chance

by listening to our students and parents. Our tutors will not reject students just for being unmotivated. We are willing to take in all students, even if they don’t have the financial means.

“His enthusiasm is contagious, and it made me excited to learn. Take is so engaging and always seemed to know what I needed to grow, and the right method to guide my own learning.”

Stephen H.
UC Berkeley '20

“Take was a tremendous find - he worked with us to assess my son’s strengths and gaps and quickly focused his tutoring in a way that maximized the short time he had and got straight to the essence.”

Elga L.
‍Mother of Kelan, Age 11

Our Team

Take Morikawa, Owner and Tutor at Portland's best Tutoring Service, TMT teaching

Take

Since 2013, Take has been committed to the success of his students. Graduating from UC Irvine with his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering he spent some time in the laser industry. Using his background in the Engineering field, he keeps his math, chemistry, and physics sessions practical and enjoyable. He has experience educating students from highly competitive high schools, as well as students with various learning disabilities. His perfect day includes a good cup of coffee, surfing and a shrimp burrito.

Sophia

Sophia graduated from Harvard in 2024 with a BA in Physics and History, and language studies in Russian and Chinese. Over eight years, she has tutored in sciences, social sciences, mathematics, languages, and college applications prep. In 2024-5, she is working on an MA in China Studies at China’s Peking University through a Yenching Scholarship. When she is not taking a long run, rock-climbing, or playing her trumpet, you might find her coping with her amazing talent for getting lost or connecting by Zoom with her parakeet.

Amara

Amara graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Applied Mathematics. She has experience teaching mathematics and science to middle school, high school, and college students, emphasizing community and encouraging students to take initiative in their learning. In her free time, she enjoys an early morning hike followed by an evening spent reading with a cup of chamomile tea.

Emma

Emma completed undergraduate degrees in both English and Spanish in 2016 and graduated from the Master’s program at Western Washington University in 2022, where she taught English composition. She has been teaching internationally at both universities and private language schools since 2016 and enjoys helping each student find a path to success that is personalized to their individual learning needs and goals. Emma’s perfect day includes a sunny afternoon on the lake, a book of poetry, and her dog Andi.

Alex

Alex graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Japanese and minor in Applied Linguistics and M.A. in Teaching Languages to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Portland State University. His experience includes working closely with university level international students from diverse backgrounds and with the local adult ESL community in Beaverton, Oregon. His teaching heavily emphasizes building strong communication with students in order to understand their specific goals and needs, as well as working together to build learner autonomy to set students up for future success. In his free time, he enjoys relaxing to music with a cup of coffee.

Marcelo AP Environmental Science Tutor

Marcelo

Marcelo graduated from Providence College in 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Biology and in 2023 with a master’s in business administration. One of his passions is educating students in wildlife conservation and environmental science. Moreover, he brings his practical experience as an endangered wildlife specialist into academic lessons. In his free time Marcelo likes to hike and cook new recipes.

LET'S BEGIN
Website designed and developed by Umbrella Avenue (503) 506-5064 take@tmt-teaching.com