Hannah Ford Math Tutoring

I am currently a math major and math tutor at High Point University. I am extremely passionate about helping my students experience the "aha" moment of making the connections they need in order to feel confident about their math skills. The majority of my tutoring at High Point University is formatted like office hours in which anyone can come and receive help. However, in my experience as a tutor the past two semesters, the students typically end up coming every week to reinforce the material they are learning in the classroom. They express an appreciation to the way I explain math concepts and even bring friends with them to our sessions who are also struggling. I believe that simply re-explaining the material doesn't typically help, so instead, I encourage the students to think through the math and the logical steps to take to reach the answer, while only nudging them in the right direction. I find that this style of tutoring sets the student up more effectively to be able to critically think through the math on their own.

Furthermore, although I am one of the youngest tutors at High Point University, I find that being so close in age to the students I tutor makes them feel more comfortable in expressing what areas they may be struggling with. Because of this, I am able to make strong connections with the students. Additionally, I find that a large majority of the students have the capacity to excel in math, but their confidence or study skills are lacking. In my tutoring, I have been trained by High Point University to not only help with the student's understanding of the material but also teach them how to study the material in a way that will benefit them in the long run. I also recognize that confidence can be a large inhibitor to a student's performance in a class. I am patient with the student, showing them that it's okay to make mistakes and that they have the ability to do it, regardless of what they believe. As we say at High Point University, we try to change the student's mentality to a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset says, "I am not good at math and I will always struggle with it." A growth mindset, however, says,"I am struggling now in math, but I can be better and fully understand it, with persistence, practice and hard work." This is not only applicable in math and school, but it is a life skill that teaches perseverance when a task is difficult.

For all of these reasons, I believe my tutoring services stand out from others. However, the most important reason I would be a great tutor for your child or student is how much I love the students that I tutor. I want to see them succeed in the course, but furthermore I want them to succeed in life. I don't stop at helping them understand the math, I want them to feel confident in their learning skills, their studying skills and their life skills. I believe that this is what sets me apart from other tutors, not only at High Point University, but everywhere.

Helping my students reach the point where they can critically think through a math problem on their own is my goal and my favorite part of tutoring. I offer help, but also allow them to understand the material for themselves. I am a total "math geek" and I love sharing my love of math to the students I tutor. I know not all of my students will develop this love for math as I have, but helping them to make the connections to understand the importance and the application of the math in the real world is so rewarding for me. I try my best in my tutoring to try to make it applicable and helpful to something they are interested in or understand. I find that this sometimes helps engage the student in a way they weren't before.