Ron With Math Attacks!

Make every effort to get to know the whole student and their favored learning modalities. Assertain their knowledge base in math. Find out what their concerns are regarding the study of mathematics. Give them some insight into me, who I am, and how I intend to help them improve their performance. 

In addition to my current Multiple Subject CA Credential with a Supplementary Authorization to teach high school math, I have tutored thousands of math students over my 15-year teaching career. Applications of Calculus was the class I took at UC Davis that ignited my passion for mathematics. I passed that love for math on to every child I possibly could before I left teaching and entered education administration. 

My pricing system is to charge nothing for the first session. From then on (usually a few sessions will do) until I am certain I can connect with the student, establish a rapport, and have the tools, techniques, and strategies that will help them succeed in math I only charge $10.00/hour. If I continue to tutor any particular student that meets the above criteria, my price is only $20.00/hour.

I had a calling. It was my destiny to teach. I was an intern at Lincoln High School in Stockton, CA while I finished my credentialing coursework at the University of the Pacific. 

I spent the first year teaching disadvantaged students at the high school level before I was drawn into the math department. I taught all grade levels and all ability levels in mathematics for about 10-years before I took the opportunity to instruct at the sixth through eighth grade level at a local K-8 district school. There, I introduced an Honors Algebra class to advanced seventh and eighth grade students. This was in addition to teaching the standard grade level math to all other students.

I get to support my adult daughter, again, through her change-in-career move. She was the project manager for the CFO at the University of Southern California and now is studying to become a nurse!

Ensure, as best you can, that "they do no harm." Everyone wants to move forward in life and succeed. However, if you get what I call a "beached whale" for a math teacher, they can actually hurt your chances for success. I have seen far to many teachers "turn off" a student's eagerness to achieve in a given subject. Your teacher needs to have empathy and compassion for each student and a love for their subject matter expertise. Make sure your teacher can create a rich learning environment that generates excitement for exploring their subject and is supportive of multiple learning modalities. 

As a student, you shouldn't have to think too carefully about the questions regarding your needs you ask your teachers. The teacher is the adult and should have the training, knowledge, and expertise regarding the law and boundaries they should not cross when it comes to questions from students. However, please do think through questions about your personal needs if the question may suggest or imply the teacher is doing a poor job. Remember, teachers are not given individual students as a class. They are told to instruct large groups of very different learners. They should definitely meet your needs but are hard pressed to be the perfect teacher for each and every student.