Over and over, we hear the same two complaints from students:
“I’m bad at math.”
“When am I ever going to use math?”
Our math and physics tutoring philosophy is best explained by answering these two questions.
"When am I ever going to use math?"
The short answer is, “hardly ever.”
Unless you want a career in engineering, science, or math, you won’t use the Pythagorean Theorem.
You learn the math skills needed for everyday life by junior high. We’re not going to claim you need advanced math to navigate life. You’d see right through that. However........
A More Powerful and Skillful Brain
Mathematical thought helps your brain develop.
Young adults rapidly create synaptic connections. A developing brain engaged in critical thinking will create more connections. Like lifting weights, the more challenging the better. Math is a wonderful challenge.
Adult brains can sharpen up as well. A knowledge of mathematics enhances any resume.
The Language of the Natural World
Math is the language of the natural world.
Atoms in your coffee cup and stars in the sky obey mathematical laws.
We relate our math and physics tutoring to the natural world. The Golden Ratio appears everywhere in nature. Einstein’s relativity gives us a deeper knowledge of time. You’ll begin to see math all around you.
“I'm Bad at Math”
Defense mechanism, or self-fulfilling prophecy? The truth is everyone can do the math. A student that says "I'm bad at math" has had a traumatic math experience.
Typical forms of math trauma are:
- A bad math teacher embarrassing the student in front of the class
- Being misplaced in the advanced class
- Changing schools
- Missing a math class
The more you say, “I’m bad at math”, the truer it becomes.
It’s not about ability, it’s about confidence. We’re here to change your attitude about math. You'll be so intrigued, you'll end up having fun while acing your math or physics class!
Working with Tangibles
It’s easier to learn and retain math if you can visualize it. We teach π by cutting a string to the length of a circle’s diameter. With that string, you measure how many times it will fit around the circumference. Once you see that it fits about 3.14 times, you won't forget the meaning of π.
The Story Behind the Equation
We don’t expect you to just memorize equations. There is much more beauty to math than memorizing formulas. We expect you to derive every equation. Each one tells a story. Seeing the story is the key to loving math. Most math classes leave out the story.
Honesty, Respect & Empathy
Our teaching philosophy is built on honesty, respect, and empathy. We will honestly evaluate your math skills and apply the best solution. We respect you as an individual, with unique needs and goals. We empathetically remember what it feels like to struggle in math and physics.