Free Math Tutoring for 4th-8th Graders

Kirkland WA

23 March, 2021

Description

I'm piloting a volunteer program to assist 2-4 students in 4th-8th grade who are struggling in mathematics. Ideally, this role will intervene on kids who may be at risk of entering their next year of math without a firm understanding at their current grade level. This program will be free, digital, and focused on personalized attention to determine the exact sticking points or misconceptions each student has. Why 4th-8th Grade? The crucial failure of grade school math seems to occur in between 4th and 8th grade, where too many students resign themselves to this myth of being "bad at math," simply because they didn't have a firm grasp of a couple concepts before entering the next grade. The compounding effect of missing bits of material, or forgetting over summer, can stay hidden for years creating what is known as "The Iceberg Problem." My goal is to make sure these students are prepared for the next year, by affirming what they took away from their current grade, and filling in the gaps in a more approachable way. Using a more conversational approach, we will relate real world examples to the classroom material they are familiar with, to make each concept memorable. A Bit About Me: I am a lifetime resident of the Greater Seattle Area, and a math enthusiast with no formal credentials beyond prior success teaching math to struggling students. Once upon a time, I briefly fell behind in math, and began to spiral into this misconception that I was bad at all math. Luckily, I had a math interventionist. A parent from my grade school began to spend a mere hour a week with a small group of students, and we were all able to reverse this myth of being innately bad at math. I went on to have no trouble in college calculus, and later studied Economics. Goal: With those I've taught so far, I realized that knowledge is only part of the problem. Anxiety, boring repetition, and lacking confidence can build a barrier which gets in the way of some foundational concepts students may already understand. Elementary students tend to react very poorly to the stress of feeling like they are already behind their peers. The fear that they have already missed the path to higher level math classes can reinforce this stress. My goal is to end this silly concept that struggling students are bad at math, since the reality is that they just need a different approach. Students may spend a lot of time doing math, but very few hours trying to learn it in their own words. To Apply: Please send me an email response to this ad, with your own email address, student grade year, and a brief explanation of their math woes, as you see them. When I see your reply, I will send more of my own information, including character reference. Later, if we all feel it is a good fit, I will reach out again to schedule times, and ensure a workable format for each student. This small gesture changed my life trajectory as a grade schooler, and I feel it's important to give back. I hope to do the same for others, while helping kids discover they can be "good at math!"