William: Oceanside tutor

Certified Tutor

I'm a graduate of University of Colorado at Boulder, with a B.A. in English and coursework in Political Science, Spanish, Music, and History.

I am fortunate to have ten plus years of experience fostering growth in children, mostly in the 3rd grade age range of 9 and 10. I strive to be an advocate for the mind and abilities and gifts of my students, something I've been told sets me apart from other educators. Seeing as one day soon each child will be full-grown, compelled to make difficult decisions, weigh opportunity costs, decide what is worthy of their trust, I tend to take for granted that instructing to the 'whole child' is very important. This means building upon their actual realities of knowledge and skill, incorporating strength of mind / heart / character into how we think and process (e.g. "I used assertion within myself, because part of me was anxious that my answer was wrong"; i.e. 'growth mindset' as a way of beingthe fact that we are not fixed / static in our abilities, but always have yet more to learn), addressing and assuaging difficulties directly so the light of truth is on them and they can now be improved upon.

My best and favorite subject to instruct is mathematics, in the context of 'upper elementary' material. It is the subject most often mis-taught, or in whose learning the child's mind and emotions have been the most disregarded and mis-directed. But also, in this age range there is such huge potential for overcoming negative experiences, training, and beliefs about math. Students who are struggling with such things are the ones I most enjoy working with because it is so wonderful to watch their understanding grow with their competence, and the joy and relief that come with shedding all their negative burdens about math and themselves.

The approaches I see as most valuable in teaching maths foster number sense: flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency with mathematical concepts and process. Number Talks is my favorite approach as it brings about mastery of the 'math facts' through familiarity. The child also, through Number Talks, is getting into sound habits: drawing out the problem and explaining / justifying their thinking. Model Drawing is a favorite approach to gaining confidence and competence with word problems. Jo Boaler's 'Mathematical Mindsets' is an absolutely essential work on why such approaches are preferable in the short- and long-term for your child (and our civilization), and it details the research backing and the how-to of fostering accuracy, flexibility, efficiency, and overall mastery with quantities and operations.

Sessions with me are likely to include joyousness, earnestness, probably some silliness, but always clear communication about the thinking we're doing. ("I disagree that ______, because_____"; "I agree that _______, because ________.") If it sounds like I may be able to help your child get over a hurdle, just get some extra practice, or even get back to just loving school, then I look forward to the opportunity!