Kasonya

I hold a Master’s degree in secondary mathematics education from Mississippi State University and a Bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi. I have tutored on the college level and taught at a local public high school and in my own private home school.

Ages I've worked with:

Elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and adult learners.

My tutoring style:

I observe and/or follow the natural inclination of the student in our initial interactions and during sessions. At our initial interactions, I build rapport by asking questions and encouraging detailed responses. I will use responses that reveal the student’s interests as examples during our sessions. I prefer to ask students how they would choose to work math problems, because there are so many correct ways. I strive to make each of my students feel heard and respected for their ideas and preferences.

I encourage students to participate throughout the session to help me gauge their level of understanding. I use humor to keep the atmosphere comfortable, especially if I have made a mistake. I want the student to realize that, although this is a serious subject, we can enjoy the process. I provide encouraging feedback (using emojis, sound effects, verbal praise, etc. when the student is moving toward the correct solution) that motivates the student. I make a special effort to let the student know that I knew he/she could succeed.

Success story:

A high school student that I tutored through all his academic math classes did not test well on standardized tests, although he earned straight A’s in school. Rather than take remedial math classes in college, we decided that he should take the ACCUPLACER math exam at his college. We worked together for several weeks to prepare for the exam. On the day of the examination when he turned in the completed exam to the proctor, he asked for the next section of the test. The proctor told him he had completed it all. He told me that he never got to a hard problem on the entire test, so he thought there was another section! This student exceeded the ACCUPLACER score he needed to test into College Algebra. The connection we established through tutoring helped him to trust his ability to succeed - to trust me when I told him I was confident in him - and he would go on to be one of the top students in his College Algebra course.