Volak

I started tutoring in high school and kept tutoring as I pursued my bachelor's degree in biology and my master's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Even in my professional life as an actuary, I tutored on weekends. I tutor grades 6-College.

My tutoring style:

My tutoring style is more laid back and conversational. I try to reframe learning mathematics to something more pleasant than the stress-filled experience most students have. Sometimes the difficulty that a student has with learning math has nothing to do with the math itself. The student may have anxieties from things in their life that affect their academic performance, and I address those in a supportive and empathetic way.

Before figuring out what the student is struggling with in their math curriculum, I try to get a holistic understanding of the students overall mindset. I continually reinforce the idea that success in math comes directly from the amount of work the student puts in. As an example, I like to point out the ridiculousness of calling a body builder a “body genius.” The body builder puts in hours of time at the gym to get that way. As such, to be good at math, you have to put in the hours of work. I am always reminding my students of that.

Success story:

It was the first day of the semester and as I was walking towards the math lab at Collin College, where I am scheduled to teach, I saw a student patiently sitting right by the door. Its not unusual to have students waiting for the math lab to open, but it doesn’t usually happen on the first day of the semester.  After introducing myself to the student, I learned that he was an international student and was taking his first class in America. He mentioned that he was not very good at math and that he was currently enrolled in developmental math, a non credit course. Even though I just met him, I felt sure that he had a strong work ethic and would do very well in math.  

My intuition was correct. Every day he would come to the math lab early and I would give him tips and strategies to understand some of the things he was struggling with. On days before exams, I would stay a little after hours to help him study. Every week I would see his confidence grow. His efforts paid off; he aced Calculus and would go on to be accepted into a top-tier graduate program in finance. I still keep in touch with him to this day and he often thanks me for helping succeed in college. In truth, he did all of the heavy lifting. I just made sure to build his confidence in math as well as give him tips and strategies.

Hobbies and interests:

I love the performing arts. I grew up as a dancer; taking classes like Jazz, Contemporary and Ballet.  I still choreograph from time to time. I am also passionate about Photography and Cinematography.