About
Hello!
During my 27-year public-school teaching career, I used fun, kindness and music to teach all levels from basic math through pre-calculus to middle and high school students. My passion has always been in helping those who just never "got" math to understand and enjoy it. I taught in after school and summer school individualized programs for all but a few teaching seasons. I dearly love math and have continued on to pass my first actuarial exam (probability including calculus) and am studying for my second (financial math) to fulfill my dream of becoming an actuary. From teaching my dolls as a kid to tutoring college students as an undergrad to a fulfilling career teaching math to now doing online tutoring, teaching math has been my life.
I am offering one-hour private (or small group if your student has a friend and wants to share the cost) online Zoom sessions for $25 per session. The sessions can be set up weekly or on an as-needed basis. I will use material the student is working on as curriculum but am happy to supplement that if needed.
My goal for all students is to gain the confidence needed to truly understand that all math is figure-out-able. I root out what I call "math gremlins" - incorrect or unclear concepts that are holding students back from understanding their current material. My goal for every student is to move on from needing tutoring and that's been happening, which is great! My students are also reporting increased test grades and decreasing math anxiety.
During each session I take screen shots of everything we work on and I send them out afterwards so students have clear records of the concepts and don't need to spend time and mental energy taking notes (most of the time).
Thank you so much for your interest and I hope this message answers some of your questions about me!
Sincerely,
Debra Pflipsen-Krinkie
The most wonderful sound in the world for me has always been the "Oooooooooooh!" a student makes when they finally understand a concept that they have previously struggled with.
Highlights
Reviews
Meera
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
The student and I will talk through problems that they aren't understanding in their current material to give me a sense of what ideas they still need to grasp in order to be successful. We talk about different strategies and what, if anything, it is helpful to memorize. I prefer understanding to memorization, but there are some formulas which need memorization, and I provide strategies for that, too.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been an educator all of my adult life. I have a Bachelor of Science from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota and a Master of Education from Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. I enjoyed a successful career teaching math beginning with tutoring in college and then at Forest Lake High School, Forest Lake ALC and Richfield High School.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My charge is $25 per hour. If there is more than one student who wants to share a lesson, then they would share the $25 cost. If a student only needs a bit of time that week, I only charge for the portion of the hour they need. Sometimes a student will only need a few minutes. There is never a charge for cancellation, as I consider cancellations as bonus time with my son.
How did you get started teaching?
I come from a family of teachers. My grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse and was one of the first graduates from Saint Cloud Normal School, which was exclusively a teaching college and which later grew to become Saint Cloud State University. I "taught" my dolls as a toddler. When it rained on our land, my father would help me figure out how much the water weighed that fell on our land. In high school, I remembering helping my friends who needed math help and also enjoyed tutoring math as a job in college.
What types of students have you worked with?
In my years of teaching I have been fortunate to have worked with students of many different learning styles and backgrounds - I feel every student is unique with their own experiences and needs.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
My son is becoming a mathematician at age 8 and I am very happy about that - I don't push him but he truly enjoys math and finds it easy and fun.
I was very fortunate to attend a conference in 2018 featuring Pam Harris called "Math is Figure-Out-Able" and that sparked me like nothing before.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
I would make sure they are taking steps to ensure the student becomes self-sufficient and not dependent on their tutoring. I would make sure that they believe that all math truly is figure-out-able!