Catherine

I have a bachelor’s degree in food science from Penn State University and have been tutoring math in grades 1-College for more than a decade. My teaching philosophy is to encourage the student to understand the big picture, and not simply memorize how to go through the steps to solving a problem.

My tutoring style:

I like to start by giving my student’s confidence that any math lesson they are currently struggling with will make sense soon! Reaching out for help takes courage, whether it’s because they’ve fallen behind or need the problems approached from a different point of view. I encourage my students to take a wider view of the concepts they're learning; when you take a step back to understand WHY you’re doing a problem, it helps build a stronger foundation for later applications in math.

Success story:

Being a tutor is full of rewarding stories of bringing confidence and success to students. I had a first grade student with ADHD who started with me barely able to count to 10. It took a lot of attention to gain her focus and find strategies that worked with her learning style. After 6 months working together, she was able to add/subtract/multiple/divide with numbers 1-15! She quickly rose to top of her class and is now years ahead of her peers.

While tutoring at Penn State University, many students would seek help after failing their first exam and hoping to be able to pass the course. No matter what grade they started with, I was able to put them on a clear path forward to completing their course, when even their advisors thought they’d have to drop the course. Never give up! It’s never too late to work towards your goals.