My Math Tutor Treasure Coast

I’d like to explain why I hate - yes, hate - math tests with multiple choice answers. When a student receives his/her results, the focus is only on whether he/she chose the correct answer. As children get older - third grade and up, usually - they’re expected to solve questions (sometimes word problems, but not always) requiring multiple steps and calculations. For example: Calculate the percent increase or decrease for 12.5 to 8. They have to know to line up 12.5 and 8.0. They have to know how to borrow or regroup correctly to get 4.5. Then they have to know that 4.5 needs to be divided by 12.5, which means they have to know the rules for dividing with decimals. If they do everything correctly, they get .36, but that’s not the correct answer! They then must transform the decimal into a percent by moving the decimal over two places to the right to get 36%! One small miscalculation can throw everything off, so a student who does it all perfectly but maybe had 12.5 - 8 = 3.5 will get it WRONG! A math teacher who can see the work and realizes it was a simple mistake won’t think the kid doesn’t know how to calculate percent increase and decrease. They’ll tell the kid he/she needs to maybe slow down/check their work, etc. And a kid who hears this feels seen and knows his/her teacher knows what he/she can do. This is why, when I taught in the classroom, I’d make multi-step questions worth 4 or 5 points. For a silly mistake, I’d subtract 1 point only! I expected my students to comprehend how to do things, not be calculators!

As a Math Teacher for nineteen years, it pains me to see the low ratings the district receives for the Math FSA each year. It pains me, but I'm also surprised our district is only in the bottom third in the state. Since moving here in 2016, I've spent time in many classrooms and observed the pressures put on teachers; the minimal time allotted for learning skills; the burnout and frustration expressed by skilled, veteran Math Teachers alongside those who are new to the classroom and overwhelmed. Like it or not, teaching Math requires some hand-holding. The myth that only very smart people will succeed in Math persists and I've seen tough kids cry when faced with the possibility that their peers will see they don't get it. I've also worked in schools that provide extra-help for students, but invariably that translates to students being kept after school and working on computer programs. Knowing how many career paths require math skills - auditor, data scientist, software developer, financial analyst, medical scientist, computer engineer, architect, computer programmer, statistician, economist - I know the consequences of giving up on Math. Don't let your child give up on Math!

My sister has an MBA (although she’s a successful writer now) and my nephew is a professor of Finance. I haven’t lost, over many years, my discomfort with money. I don’t know how business owners do it. (Actually I do, and sometimes it’s ugly.) I’m in the business of teaching and helping students realize they CAN understand math. I cannot take money from anyone unless I’ve earned it. This got me in trouble with a few local tutoring agencies because I’d occasionally tell them when a student I tried to help wasn’t willing or able to learn and I didn’t want the money. If I’m hired to help your daughter or son and I accept payment, know that I’ve earned it and your child benefitted.

I've taught Math since 2003, but I've also taught Science and Reading and I have a degree in History. My background allows me to connect subject areas easily. When I taught Physical Science in Qingdao, China, for example, our work with the basics of chemistry and balancing equations relied heavily on my students' math skills and my own.