My educational background is in the hard sciences and psychology, as well as mathematics. My current journey in academia started from the fulfillment I received from helping others understand and gain confidence in subjects ranging from elementary school math to Calculus II. I have worked at both Kumon and Mathnasium from the ages of 16-22 before I took a job in legislation. Currently, I am a part time assistant director of a Mathnasium while being a full time graduate student and research...
My educational background is in the hard sciences and psychology, as well as mathematics. My current journey in academia started from the fulfillment I received from helping others understand and gain confidence in subjects ranging from elementary school math to Calculus II. I have worked at both Kumon and Mathnasium from the ages of 16-22 before I took a job in legislation. Currently, I am a part time assistant director of a Mathnasium while being a full time graduate student and research associate, while also seeing clients with mental health disorders. At Mathnasium, I not only tutor a range of students with diverse needs, but also create tailored learning plans based on their assessments and numerical fluency. Since I started private tutoring at the age of 15, I always approached education, specifically mathematics, as being concept-focused. Meaning, the teaching process is about helping someone learn how to find an answer in multiple ways.
Teaching habits of thorough cognitive-processing, being able to break apart complicated equations or word problems into pieces that are familiar for example, is a skill that continues to build on itself and makes understanding more difficult concepts easier, as well as promoting conceptual learning as opposed to memorization. For example, a student can gain the skills to solve a complicated word problem without having to know algebra by drawing it out, using symbols or logic to solve the problem.
Building confidence in students is especially important and something I have seen reflected in my previous students during my time as a private tutor. Not only was I able to raise a students' math grade by two letters, but he began to enjoy and build confidence in his math skills; his fear of being wrong, freezing when he didn't know the answer, diminished as his confidence grew in a matter of weeks. This is an important tenant of my tutoring approach.
I also have experience working with children with learning disabilities including ADHD and Autism Spectrum Di
