M.S. in Mathematics with 5 years of exp. tutoring math at all levels

Lila M.

Hi, I'm Lila! I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a 3.96 GPA, then a Master's degree in Mathematics (also summa cum laude with a 4.0). As an undergrad, I spent 3 years working as a math tutor in my university's Math/Calculus Labs. These labs offered free walk-in tutoring, and were a revolving door for students at all levels of experience. I've worked with freshmen, grad students, students in non-math classes with math questions, and students starting college after years without a single math class.

The tutors I worked with were similarly diverse; there were Math majors, but also Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, and Math Ed majors. During slow shifts, we'd discuss difficult problems students had brought in, and work together on finding better solutions and explanations for these problems. This collaborative approach to tutoring helped me to not just become a better tutor, but a better mathematician in my own classes. During grad school, I worked as Teaching Assistant for Calculus 1, and continued to grow as a tutor via office hours and reviews sessions. While I've tutored almost every field of math at a university level, I am especially experienced with Algebra, Precalculus, and Calculus from my time as TA.

Although I majored in pure math, I took electives intended for Math Ed students to better myself as an educator. I made several Math Ed friends with whom I discussed teaching philosophy, and even sat in some of their classes after they became instructors to improve my own teaching. The most important thing I learned: it is one thing to know math, and another entirely to teach it well. Every student understands things in unique ways, and a good tutor must adapt to their students' understanding. Students insisting they despise math often surprise me, proposing clever approaches that I never would have considered. So, I strive to create an open conversation when I tutor, giving students every chance to express their thoughts in ways that make the most sense to them.