Diane

About Me

I am a certified math and Spanish teacher; I retired in 2023 after teaching 30 years of middle school. I have privately tutored math for more than 200 students since college -- all levels grade 7 through calculus. I have a BS in Mathematics and a BSED in Mathematics and Spanish Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. I am bilingual. In addition, I have a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Mathematics Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Tutoring Style

I am a unique math teacher, who brings humor into my instruction. I am adept at giving little tricks for students to recall how to work through problems. One way I think I excel is in my tutoring style - I ask my students a lot of questions so that they show comprehension of the material. I love tutoring math, as I think so many students needing it have had difficult experiences in the past with learning it. I make math accessible and -- gasp! -- FUN for my students.

Success Story

One of my favorite stories is when I tutored a middle school student after she was expelled from summer school, where I was teaching 8th-grade math. Her grandparents wanted her to be prepared for the next year, so we worked intensely at her grandparents' house for weeks. When she took the summer school cumulative test I gave, she worked, struggled, and second-guessed herself through it. After I graded it, I told her she only missed 1 question -- she went running around the house, yelling to her grandparents, "I only missed one, grandma... just one!" I will always remember her dancing around the house.

Hobbies & Interests

I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, doodling Zentangles, and swimming.  When it comes to entertainment, I love action movies and -- embarrassingly -- reality shows. I am bilingual, so speaking Spanish and learning other languages is a true passion I have!

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