About Me
My experience as a math tutor began in high school when I took over teaching math to two middle school students whose mathematical background did not fit well with any of the school’s current math offerings. Since then, I have tutored students at every age and level from 10 to adult and from basic math through AP calculus, multivariate calculus and beyond. My current interests have evolved to include educational philosophy. I am especially influenced by the approach developed by Maria Montessori (although I do not actually use Montessori methods in my tutoring): I am trained and teach as a Montessori guide for elementary school students. I am also influenced by the writings of John Holt and Alfie Kohn. My approach to math education has been particularly informed by Bob and Ellen Kaplan’s Math Circle work. Their goal is to enrich the mathematical experience and knowledge of their students by actually engaging them in the process of doing mathematics. I try to bring this experiential approach to every student I work with.
My own fascination with mathematics began when I was a young child. I discovered that multiplication by nine and “counting by nine” give the same results, and I haven’t looked back since. In sixth grade, I talked my way into an algebra class, and I began studying calculus in ninth grade. In college, I studied, among other topics, real and complex analysis, abstract algebra, and linear logic. In graduate school, I also studied algebraic topology, differential geometry, Galois theory, and cryptography.
Education
- B.A. in Mathematics from Reed College, 2004.
- M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, 2007.
- I trained as a Montessori Teacher for the elementary grades at Hershey Montessori Training Institute, and hold a Montessori diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale, 2011.
- M.Ed. in Montessori Elementary Education from the University of Hartford, 2016.
I am licensed to teach in Connecticut and Washington.