The other day I showed up to a lesson, and as we began, I soon found out that the student had fallen behind on some of their online assignments. I quickly thought, “How did I not notice this? My clients are paying good money for me to help their child succeed and they are falling behind…nooo!”

I was a bit nervous about the situation because, well, I pride myself in offering the best quality service as a tutor.  It sort of hit me in the gut. However, I had no time for self-pity and quickly did what I needed to do to resolve the situation. First, and foremost, I communicated the dilemma to the parents. They deserve and always need to know what’s going on. Secondly, I explained to them how we can quickly resolve it.

My priority that day was to have the student complete as many of the assignments as possible, while still learn the new content for the week. Sometimes it’s just a balancing act, and that’s what I had to do that day.  At the end of our meeting, Dad asked me how to best prepare his son for our lessons going forward. We had a brief, but great discussion and the situation was resolved within a week. It was to my great relief to say the least! Now, here are my words of wisdom so that this doesn’t happen to you:

• Have your child complete as many of their assignments on their own before they meet with a tutor. I know this sounds obvious, but I often come across students who wait to do all their work with me. If we meet once a week, that’s not very productive, especially if the session is only for one hour. If you find that they struggle to complete their assignments, then you might want to consider adding more tutoring sessions during the week or finding supplemental help with the school or teacher.
• Have the student keep track of what they had trouble with on an assignment during the week or in class and save this for the tutoring session. When meetings are dedicated to just the challenging areas, they are more productive and efficient. You can focus on mastering those areas, and usually create some time to be able to get ahead on new topics or review old ones.
• Get into the habit of physically checking your child’s assignments for the week. I know that we want to trust our kids when they tell us that they have completed all their work. Sometimes they don’t, and that’s usually because they get easily distracted with other things.

There isn’t much more to it than that. The lesson I learned here is that I need to be more like the parent and double-check that all our bases our covered as to where assignments are listed. Sometimes teachers post them on different places online so it can be confusing. But once that’s cleared up, your child will be well on their way to getting everything done on time and having the best meetings they can possibly have with their tutor.

I hope this information is useful for you!
​
Happy Tutoring!
​

​

When it comes to study habits, in a perfect world our children would take the initiative to finish all their homework on time, with focus & accuracy, and ace all their tests. As you know, the world is not perfect. It’s full of distractions, our kids are busy with sports & hobbies, and things happen that are outside of our control. That’s perfectly ok and I want you to know that despite all those things, we as parents have a lot of potential to greatly influence our kids for them to create some pretty solid study habits. Here are a few tips to set them up for success:

• Create a Study Routine.  This comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most important aspect is consistency. There should be very few exceptions to not getting the work done. For example, take a break after school, then get to homework for a good 1-2 hours. No distractions whatsoever. I know families that have “movie nights” every weekend, but only on the condition that their kids do their best to get their work done during the week. I also want to be clear that enforcing this routine should not be tyrannical in the slightest sense. Of course, please add your flavor of balance to it because it is important for them to socialize and have fun. They are meant to move around, get creative, and play. Don’t take that away from them.
• If you have a tutor, please make sure they have your child’s best interest in mind & heed their suggestions. A lot of people think that hiring a tutor is the magic solution, and it could potentially be, but I want to emphasize that it takes a team for our kids to achieve success in the classroom. As a tutor, one is skilled and knowledgeable of the material. We are there to help them understand the concepts masterfully so that they can do the work on their own. Just remember, that if you meet with them one hour a week, that time is limited, so we can’t possibly cover everything that is learned in a week of school. I personally will do my best to make the session as efficient and productive as possible. One where the student can feel more confident and take some useful skills with them when they walk away from the lesson. In your search for a tutor, make sure they have the best interest of your child in mind and if they make any suggestions for work outside of the session, it’s probably a good idea to do the extra work assigned.
• Remove Distractions. Now that online sessions are conducted more frequently, it’s important to remove all distractions. Sometimes I will be working with a student and their phone will consistently play their message notification bell. I kindly ask them to silence this. My suggestion is that when your child is ready to begin a lesson with an online tutor or they are about to sit down and do some homework, put their cell phone outside of that study room. Also, often I will be at a client’s home, and while studying at the dinner table the parents or someone else is watching T.V. That can be pretty distracting. I personally don’t say anything to the parent because, well, it’s their house, their rules, and they can do whatever they want.  However, probably best to watch television in another room or wait until the session is over.
• Homework Completion Before a Tutoring Session. I am more than happy to sit down and work through homework with a student, but whenever possible, please have them finish it before a tutoring session. This maximizes your return when investing in a tutor. As I mentioned before, we just have one or two hours with your child during the week. Why not make the most of our time together and focus only on the challenges the student is facing? If they can get most of the homework done with great accuracy, then we will have more time to work through all the trouble spots, review any basic skills, and possibly get ahead in teaching them the next concepts to be learned. This is the best position to be in.

Remember, baby steps create giant strides of success. Be firm and kind in the enforcement of your study routine, and I can almost guarantee that you will see some “magic” happen in the long run. I’ll end with this thought as you figure out what works best for your family dynamic, “When I don’t have the outcome that I want, it’s because I need to change my method.”

​

Excellent math tutors abound a plenty, so how are you going to stand out from the rest of the pack and offer the best session to your students? Need a degree from MIT? How about a masters or PhD? Maybe a teaching credential? The answers are No. No. No. Say what?! Maybe you are thinking you’ve got to have a lot of great experience and a degree from a top university, and although that helps, it doesn’t have to be the case. In my opinion, I think that the only factors that matter are mastery of the topic you are going to teach, a few teaching strategies, and noble work ethic. There are, of course, other important attributes, but these, I think, are the heart of a solid tutoring session.

Let’s go into detail for each of the aspects mentioned above:

                Mastery of the Topic You Are Going to Teach. I think it goes without saying that you should know your stuff, right? The best tutors will know all their formulas off the top of their head. They will know all the skills needed to master any topic. If a student sends you a list of concepts they need to study, you should know exactly what they are talking about and what resources to pull together for them. No need to say much more about this.
                Teaching Strategies. Now we are talking about what to do from the time the lesson starts until it ends. First, and foremost, know what you are covering and make a quick assessment as to what can be accomplished in one session. If it’s just one idea, then your student is likely to achieve mastery in one sitting. In more advanced math, especially in honors classes, there can be several topics covered. If you don’t feel that you can finish everything, at the very least, cover at least a few problems from each topic that the student needs to go over. They can finish the rest on their own. Remember, your goal as a tutor is to help the student understand the material at a master level, not necessarily finish their homework with them. The student should be accountable for that anyway.
                Once you’ve completed your assessment, it’s time to get to work. This is usually how it goes for me: warm-up (skills student needs to strengthen), teach topic (guided practice and Q&A; I explain steps with my own problem, and they simultaneously apply those steps to their homework problem), student completes problems independently (observe their process; Q&A; take a note of areas that need improvement and work on that particular skill before moving on), POP QUIZ! (one or two questions on what they just practiced completely independently-get them in “quiz mode”), and have the student teach the concept back to you. Repeat and modify as needed.
                You’ll notice that in all the steps mentioned, the student is continuously active, even in your teaching moments. This is intentional so that they are constantly learning and gives them no opportunity to zone out. You only have one sitting with them, which is usually an hour, so make the most of it!
                Noble Work Ethic. What exactly do I mean here? You may be thinking that all tutors are noble. Well, just like in any industry, there is a range of quality. Be the best you can be by doing the following: be present with your student at all times (stay off your cell during meeting…it’s just rude), observe your student’s process, ask them questions, encourage them to ask you questions, keep them focused, have them practice as much as possible, communicate with their parents about their progress and how they can improve.

Applying these methods are sure to get you on your way to 5 gold stars!

Happy Tutoring!                                  

When it comes to finding the right tutor, there are several considerations to take into account. Are they highly qualified? What are their credentials and experience? What is their rate? What are they offering as part of their service? Final question -> Should I hire an online or in-person tutor? This is something we have to consider in today’s world. I’m here to help you make the right decision.

It boils down to your child’s personality, how much you can afford, and what kind of service you expect from the tutor. Here are the pros and cons of each method to help you decide what is best for you.

Online Tutor
Pros:

• Sometimes more affordable. Tutors can charge a lower rate if you decide to work with them virtually. This is because they don’t spend money travelling to be at your desired location.
• You can learn anywhere in the world. What if you decide to take your family on vacation, but still need your child to study during that time? Well, with your laptop, tutoring is a breeze for families on the go.
• Good alternative to when either the tutor or student is under the weather. No risk of spreading germs.
• Great option for busy families with a full calendar of activities.

Cons:

• Technology interruptions. Internet cut out? No more audio or video? Yep, sometimes it happens, but it’s a rare occurrence.
• Tutor can’t see what the student is writing so there is extra effort to be made to know how the student is working out their problems. Thankfully, there are virtual whiteboards. What I personally do is have the student say what they are writing on paper, and as they do so, I write what they are saying on my virtual whiteboard. In this manner both parties can see exactly what is being done.
• If student does not have video, then it’s difficult for the tutor to cue in on the student’s body language, which can be super useful in determining whether or not the student is confused or needs help.

In-person Tutor
Pros:

• Tutor can easily read body language and respond appropriately to the student when they need help. Sometimes students are not comfortable asking questions, so when the tutor can detect confusion, they can address the issue on the spot.
• For students who need help focusing, in-person is the better option because the tutor is physically present, and the student is less likely to get distracted by a phone or anything else.
• Easier to get more work done because all your materials are present and accessible. For example, if the student has a work packet, then both parties can see the material in front of them on the desk. When working online, sometimes this is a challenge if the student does not have a digital copy or did not send pictures of the pages before the lesson.

Cons:

• Sometimes you may have to meet at a local place like a library or coffee shop, depending on the tutor. This can be burdensome for some busy families.
• Tutors sometimes charge more for their in-person lessons. It’s usually not much more.
• I honestly tried to think of more cons but couldn’t. If the tutor is coming to your house, you’ve pretty much got everything covered for your child. They are there one-on-one addressing your child’s questions and it’s super convenient when the tutor comes to your house. How much better can it get?

Either option is viable, especially for the highly professional tutor.  They will be ready with all the tools they need for either situation. They are highly intuitive in connecting with your student, making sure they get the best session.  Just make sure you have a small conversation with your tutor specifying your needs, and if they can assure you of a productive and professional experience, then you will be in good hands either way.

​Happy Searching!

​

​

Besides the usual excitement I get from students when they show up for a lesson (not really…lol), probably the most common reaction they have when faced with concepts in math that don’t make sense to them is a question like this, “When am I ever going to use this?” Initially, I used to respond with something like, “Well, there are some skills you are using here that can be useful someday, such as in finances.” It never really went beyond that, and I was truly not satisfied with the answer I gave them.
 
Now, after 10 years of hearing this, I have a more brutally honest and direct response, “Well, probably never, but you still must graduate high school. If you do take a career path that uses a lot of math, like say, a math teacher, then you will use it. However, it is more likely that you won’t, but there are still a couple of gains here:

• You learn how to think through challenges.
• The most practical use of math is in your personal finances.

 
Yep, that’s pretty much it for most people!
 
That being said, I want to focus on the practical application of math in personal finances. Specifically, in how we budget our money. Nowadays, many schools offer a class called “Financial Algebra.” I wish that I had a class like this growing up because it would have prepared me for the real world of credit cards, budgeting, and buying a car. These are areas of our lives that we can all relate to. Had I been more educated in the world of finances, I think that I would have made better decisions.
 
When you go into the real world after high school, you will begin to make your own financial decisions independently. Here are a few tips that can get you started on the right path:

• DO NOT apply for a credit card before knowing how to use it properly.
• Only buy what you can afford.
• Allocate Your Earnings to some basic funds: emergency, necessary expenses, and retirement.
• Shop Smart: look around for the best deal when appropriate.

 
I am not a professional financial advisor, so please don’t take this information as such. However, I believe these are basics that will lead you in the right direction.  There is so much more we can talk about for each of these points, but let’s save that for another day 😊

​

​

​Not all learners are created equal, so how do you become the best tutor you can be with every student you work with? I believe it comes down to your mindset. Although you must adapt to each student’s learning style, there is a universal approach you can take when working with them. If you have children of your own, then this analogy will make sense. You see, as a parent, we want the best for our kids, so we will do pretty much anything to support them. If you, as a tutor, can look at each of your students as if they were your own child, then your dedication to help them succeed gets much easier. I don't know what it is, but this seems to put you, the tutor, in a more motivated, results-oriented mindset.
 
Don’t have any children? Perhaps a pet? The point is that you will take more dedicated care of the people you love. I’m not saying you must love your students but seeing them as your own can create impactful changes in the way you tutor. Try experimenting with this psychology on yourself the next time you work with one of your clients. Do it for a while and notice what happens. It is my belief that you will see positive results.
 
Here are some other quick tips on how you can become a master tutor:

• Always pay attention to your student (put your phone away). When working at libraries, I have seen other tutors constantly checking their phone and texting while working.  This is distasteful and rude to your clients. They are paying you to help their child, so it is in everyone’s best interest to do your job and give them all the attention they deserve.
• Look at your student’s body language for cues of confusion or misunderstanding. Many times, students are uncomfortable asking questions, so when you respond to their confusion by stating something like, “Looks like you need some help on this part. What doubts or questions do you have?”  This opens the door to communication so you can deal with the issue right away.
• Follow-up with students during the week by sending them a practice problem or two. When they solve it and email you their work, you can review it digitally and respond with corrections. This helps struggling students stay on top of their skills.
• If you assign something, then make sure to review it or have the student turn it in to you at the next lesson for corrections. This shows the student that you are serious about their success, and it holds them accountable to their own progress. Not all students need supplemental material outside of a session, but for those who do, this creates a huge impact on progress.
• Make the most of your time with them. This means that you need to come prepared to the lesson with all materials and an action plan so that you can use every minute with them to the fullest extent.
• Work towards keeping your student ahead of the class.  In my experience, I have found that my most successful students are always learning material just one or two lessons ahead of their class. If you can get your hands on the teacher’s curriculum, definitely do so and make time to teach the new content ahead of time. The repetitive practice always helps a student master the concepts much more quickly. One piece of advice here: don’t do their assigned homework ahead of time, but instead teach them the content with your own material. Students need be held accountable for their progress as well.

 
There are many other tips I could give, but these are guidelines that I have used repeatedly and successfully. My hope is that they can also help you become a better educator. Maybe you’ll find something else that works for you and that’s great! As long as your student is progressing, that is all that matters.

Happy Tutoring!

Yippee!!! Summer is in full swing and if you have little ones, don't you just love taking them to the park and seeing them speed down those summer slides and giggle with joy as they reach the bottom?  This reminds me of a rainy day when my daughter and I just didn't want to be cooped up in the house. So, what did we do? We put on our snow pants, walked to our local park and slid down those slippery slides for fun. This is one of my favorite memories with my daughter and the best part was seeing her zip down so fast, that when she reached the end of the slide, she flew right off, caught some air, and landed with a small thud. We both just couldn't stop laughing!

Moments like these are fun indeed, but let's talk about another type of "summer slide." I'm referring to the occurrence of partly losing your skill set learned from the previous school year. I see it happen all the time with students, and even though I work in the field of mathematics, it can materialize within any subject. It may not seem like a big deal if your child struggled a bit, and you may even think, "We'll get back on track next year."  While that may be true in some cases, I do believe it's best to deal with the issue as soon as possible. Math is a subject that constantly builds on itself. What that means is that when you learn a new concept, most of the time you will need to rely on previously learned skills to be successful with the new material. This is why it is so important to address skill deficiencies right away. If not, most likely your student will continue to struggle, and it will get harder for them to get back on track in the future.  

It is especially important now to address "summer slide" because the online learning that took place in the last couple of years set our kids back even more. Having them at home was difficult for a lot of families, trying to manage their own work and simultaneously making sure their children stayed focused with their online classes. I can tell you from experience with my own 6th/7th grader at the time and I have the luxury of having one child and being able to work from home. I can't imagine those families with multiple children, especially young, and having to maybe leave home for work.

The good news is that there is an easy solution to this challenge. It's all about consistent practice with the right mindset, tools, and people.  

• Mindset: let your kids know that they can achieve mastery in math as long as they put in the practice. You can remind them that it's just like learning anything. The more practice, the easier it gets.
• Tools: This depends on what kind of learner you have. Are they independent and willing to study on their own? If so, you can use online resources that teach math. My favorite is Khan Academy because it's free, keeps track of their progress, teaches all concepts through videos, and has them practice all skills until mastered. You can also ask your child's teacher for a summer work packet or find one on your own online. A simple search of, for example, "6th Grade Summer Review Math Packet," would suffice. You can also borrow textbooks from the library. 
• People: find someone you know who is willing to work with your child during the summer or hire a tutor. You can easily find tutors and tutoring companies online. 

​​Remember, that no matter how far your child is behind, they can recuperate and master all the skills needed to be successful in their future math class. Some may need more time, and others less. In any case, just start somewhere and put in some consistent practice. It's only July, so you have plenty of time to get your student prepped and ready for the next school year. If you need a private tutor, let me know and we can see if I am the right fit for you :)