Kimberly

My style is probably a cross between a personal trainer and mother goose. I love to make math fun and push students as far as they can go. I find including games, puzzles, and tons of positive encouragement can make the difference between an engaged and excited student or a bored and discouraged one.

Tutoring subjects:

I specialize in K-12 math, with subjects including math fundamentals, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, algebra II.

Ages I’ve worked with:

I have taught students as young as five, who were just learning how to count. My oldest students have been at the very end of their high school career.

My tutoring style:

My style is probably a cross between a personal trainer and mother goose. I love to make math fun and push students as far as they can go. I find including games, puzzles, and tons of positive encouragement can make the difference between an engaged and excited student or a bored and discouraged one.

Learning math should never be about just taking tests. Mathematics shows up in all areas of life, and helps with critical thinking overall. Having a positive association with math is incredibly important for any student’s success.

When I was in middle school, a schoolteacher once convinced me I was not good at math, a sentiment that stuck with me until college. While one poor experience can spoil an entire journey, exceptionally positive experiences can change someone’s attitude towards a subject for a lifetime.

Success story:

I once had two students at the same time who required very different approaches. In typical mathematical fashion, I’ll refer to them as X and Y. Student X was very intelligent, but grew bored easily and found himself not enjoying time spent learning. His partner in crime, student Y, was a bit behind on material compared to his peers, and frequently found himself frustrated and hid behind disruptive behaviors. Finding ways to engage both simultaneous was quite the challenge. I ended up partnering them up to play a math game, knowing that a combination of their attitudes would likely not lead to success.

Afterwards, X became upset, so I pulled him aside to explain that a student’s attitude towards math is more important than their abilities. If he wanted to be his best self, he could use his abilities to help his classmates. I encouraged him to keep bettering himself. With student Y, I would casually stand by his desk and ‘coincidentally’ explain questions that had appeared blank on his paper. In general, I fostered an attitude of curiosity in both students, where they could find questions empowering instead of embarrassing. By the end of my time with them, both students had massive improvements in their abilities, but also attitudes.

Hobbies and interests:

I love to cook, bake, and do all kinds of crafts, from crocheting to woodworking. I even made a desk once, though my plants use it more than I do. Recently I have been exploring jewelry making with resin and polymer clay. I also enjoy cold process soap making.

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