More Info:
My approach is to move at the student’s pace and use the homework, curriculum, and/or prep provided by their teacher to guide our progression. This ensures that they build the necessary skills to keep up with the content being taught in the classroom and can confidently complete their assignments.
I also challenge my students to think outside of the box in their approach mathematics, as many great mathematicians have, with curiosity and an understanding that getting the wrong answer is ultimately an asset to your learning. I will provide practice sheets when necessary and am available to provide support when quizzes, tests, or exams are on the horizon.
Grade Levels
Middle School
The objective of middle school math is to build off of the foundations learned in grades P-6 by introducing more complicated mathematics such as algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. I work with middle school students to solidify their understanding of fundamental concepts and operations using visual representations to gain confidence in working with math symbolically. Solving novel problems allows all students to generalize their understanding of the fundamentals - and this skill enables students to succeed in learning to solve more complex concepts found in higher grades.
High School
The objective of high school math is to give students the freedom to pursue different mathematical streams that will prepare them for the future. There are a multitude of courses that students can choose from including; Foundations Math, Academic Math, Physics, Pre Calculus, and Calculus. As always, I will work with students to build on previous knowledge and learn to solve some of the harder high school equations, e.g. trigonometric proofs, completing the square to solve quadratic functions, solving rational functions with powers and logs, and arithmetic and geometric sequences and series.
University/College
I’ve worked with several university students and have found that often students at this level need help reviewing their materials and creating consistent study habits that will prepare them for examinations. I have worked with students in both Undergraduate and Masters programs in several different subjects including: Statistics, Finance, Calculus, Math for Teachers, and Thesis Research.
More About Me
After being labeled a ‘difficult and distracted, but smart kid,’ I was diagnosed with ADHD. While I struggled in many different aspects of my education, math was always a reliable and interesting subject that I excelled in. In high school, I was fortunate enough to be transferred to a private school in Nova Scotia where I received plenty of one-on-one schooling from teachers who had the time and patience to nurture my love of math. This, unfortunately, is not the experience most students have when it comes to learning mathematics.
When I graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Industrial Engineering I started my career as a consultant for a large business in Toronto, but I quickly became worn down by the high-strung and often impersonal corporate world. So, I decided to pursue a career that would allow me to connect with people and help others in a meaningful way. I excitedly moved back to Nova Scotia when I was accepted into the BEd program at Acadia University, and began my new endeavor. I received top grades in all my courses but surprisingly found myself struggling in the practicums. Wasn’t this the kind of thing I was looking to do? Why did I feel more overwhelmed here than I did at my corporate job? Didn’t I want to be a teacher in the public school system? The answer was no.
I realized very quickly that public school teachers don’t have the resources to provide tailored learning that focuses on the individual needs of their students. They have to allocate their time teaching to the middle and focusing on classroom management, (and rightly so, they have a lot going on with 30 kids in a classroom!) But that means that the needs of the students who are struggling, as well as students who are excelling, often fall by the wayside. Ultimately, I decided to leave the BEd program and start my own tutoring business so I could support any student who reached out for help.
Since starting my tutoring business, I am glad to say that I have had many success stories. All of my students have made significant leaps in their confidence and abilities in mathematics and the majority have left with better grades than they started with - often increasing by 20% or more.