Marilyn's Tutoring Blog

There is nothing more revealing than a student's question. My all-time favorite Geometry question came after I had completed a fairly lengthy proof on the overhead: "Ms. A, I was able to follow every single thing you did. What I don't understand is, how did you know what to do?"

One of the characteristics of a top-notch geometry student is their broad repertoire of geometry postulates and definitions. The next step, then, is to ask this question: "What do I wish were true?"

Have you ever left a class thinking you “had not a clue” about the teacher’s explanation of something you’re sure is important? It happens to almost everyone, so here’s an alert for you: as soon as you have a spare minute, write down what you do remember. It may be page numbers, words, sketches, questions of the moment, anything that will help you recapture the experience. If you’re a pretty good note-taker during class, you’re ahead of the game.

Now, it’s tutoring time and preparation is the key.

Get your stuff together…the notes we just talked about, your book, writing materials, any...

I am just completing my first year of tutoring and have found it very rewarding. Although I have made no attempt to focus on TAKs preparation, my students have been very successful in that aspect of their development. Fifth and seventh graders have consistently scored in the exemplary category; my most recent high school student raised her SAT score sufficiently to qualify for “in-state tuition” to attend The University of Arkansas.

Students who are self-motivated and willing to work consistently to eliminate gaps in their math development will be successful using the strategies I employ...