Hi! My name is Derek, & I love teaching. Thank you for supporting me!
Does your student ask for help only to have the teacher tell them to look at their notes? Is online learning anything but? Does your student follow the 'steps' but has no idea WHY they're supposed to be doing what they're doing?
Then I'm the teacher for you.
Too often math teachers know their subject, but don't know how to teach it. They can do all the math without even thinking – and that’s the problem. That's why I...
Hi! My name is Derek, & I love teaching. Thank you for supporting me!
Does your student ask for help only to have the teacher tell them to look at their notes? Is online learning anything but? Does your student follow the 'steps' but has no idea WHY they're supposed to be doing what they're doing?
Then I'm the teacher for you.
Too often math teachers know their subject, but don't know how to teach it. They can do all the math without even thinking – and that’s the problem. That's why I became a math teacher; I've been through what your student is going through, & I said ENOUGH.
I remove all the meaningless memorization, & don't just focus on getting the right answers, but on understanding WHY we're even doing what we're doing! I believe that math is something that should make sense, not a bunch of steps to be blindly followed, & that students are right when they say that traditional mathematics education is boring, useless, & altogether arbitrary. Math doesn't have to feel this way!
When students truly understand, it's not because they've memorized the steps, or drilled the information into their brains; it's when they can make connections & use old information to create new. If the traditional methods of "drill & kill" haven't been working for you, you're not alone. Math is best when it MAKES SENSE. Let me help you find the understanding you've been missing.
Credentials
I have a degree both in mathematics education from Northern Illinois University, & in music education from Illinois Wesleyan University, and have been teaching K-12 music & high school mathematics both online & in-person in public schools for over 10 years. Recently, I began tutoring with Cignition, a tutoring company specializing in online education, & in the summers I work with K-6 students as an “inclusion companion”, specializing in assisting kids with occupational defiance disorder, autism, & various learning disabilities.
