"I began my career as a math professor with a doctorate in mathematics, first for math majors, then for all students taking required math courses. I couldn’t believe how many students changed their majors, their careers, their dreams because they couldn’t get through a math class or were too scared to even take one. So, I decided to try K -12 education to see what was happening to turn so many students off to math.

In the K-12 system, holding a Grades 7 – 12 certification, I found the answer. So many teachers were teaching the bits and pieces of math, but never fitting all those pieces together to get the full picture, the meaning, the usefulness of math. This approach ensures the math is un-interesting and un-memorable. So, I specialize in getting the bits down, but then putting them all together so students can remember what they learn from day to day because it now makes sense to them.

Over the past 30+ years, I’ve taught and tutored students at the university level, I’ve taught pre-service and in-service teachers from grades K to 12, teaching them the big picture of the math before all the bits at both private and public universities. I’ve taught middle school students in my own classroom and intervened with individual students and small groups of students across grades K – 8 in urban settings. And throughout those 30 years have volunteered to support hundreds of family, friends, and friends of friends through every conceivable math class as well as test preparation for ACT, SAT, GRE, and PRAXIS exams.

From my experiences tutoring mathematics from grades K – 16, I have developed a two-goal approach. First, work towards success on today’s assignment, and second, learn to see today’s assignment as a meaningful bit of the big picture of mathematics to ensure math is memorable, meaningful, and useful to the student." less...