"Mathematics is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit." - Stefan Banach

It is a sad truth that many students sitting in math class will never see mathematics as "beautiful", or even "powerful". For many, math is one of the many necessary evils in life. In the best case, students complain that math is "boring". In the worst case, they are left feeling frustrated, angry, and questioning their own intelligence because they can't seem to "get math". A small few of these may re-discover their love for math later in life, but most will not. The root cause of the problem is the way we teach math. We don't teach students to "think mathematically". Instead of building their mathematical intuition and feeding a student's natural curiosity, math classes in most schools have become a ruthless onslaught of rigid, unexplained math techniques reinforced by endless drills and memorization. There is no room left in math class for creative problem solving, or questions of "why" or "how". It is mathematics without context, and it's robbing generations of students from experiencing the joy and beauty of real math. If you haven't already, I encourage you to read Dr. Paul Lockheart's essay about these problems with mathematics education, published by the Mathematical Association of America.

Most parents seek a math tutor for their students because they know that their child's education is important. Good grades, especially in math and science, mean better opportunities. While being a good student is important, being a good learner is more important. Fostering a student's sense of "mathematical thinking" now will become the basis of their success in later math classes. Similarly, students who test well now in math class, but fail to really understand the fundamentals of mathematics will inevitably hit a wall at some point in their study of mathematics. The true value of a math tutor is in their ability to develop this mathematical foundation, and to give students the tools they need to succeed with math in the future.

The question is, then, how do we build that "math foundation" for students and leverage it to help them become more successful in math? As a math tutor, this is what I do best. From years of experience tutoring math for all sorts of students, I've become an expert at going beyond the rules and methods learned in math class, and helping students put mathematics in its proper context. I know how to answer the "why" and "how" questions in math because I've asked many of those same questions myself. I challenge students to think more deeply about the math they're doing, even incorporating the historical development of various mathematical subjects, and focusing on "guiding questions" that illustrate why we use certain mathematical methods to solve different problems. My approach is very hands-on, designed to help students come to their own answers instead stead of simply telling them what they should do. By "guiding" instead of "telling", my students are allowed to build their own mathematical tools for solving problems, which is an important part of building that necessary intuition for math.

Math is challenging for everyone, but you don't have to be a genius to be good at math. For nearly five years, I have been helping students from all walks of life become successful with math by teaching them how to think mathematically, helping them understand the "why" behind the "what" in math, putting math in its proper context, and by focusing on building a strong math foundation. I hope you will consider making me a part of your students' journey through mathematics.

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with diligence." - Abigail Adams

As a formal homeschool student myself, I know there are certain challenges that come with taking on the role of teacher for your children. One of these is the matter of how to teach subjects you are not as familiar with. This is particularly true with math, which presents an extra challenge. Math is one of the most critical subjects in your students general education, but it's also one of the hardest to teach well. A good math instructor needs to have a deep understanding of mathematical theory in order to answer their student's questions. Helping a child build their mathematical intuition requires the teacher to go beyond the rules and know how to "think mathematically", a skill that takes years to develop. This is a lot to ask of anyone, and many professional teachers struggle to teach math at this level.

It's tempting to try to do everything on your own, but getting a little help can go a long way towards your student's future success. Math tutoring is an excellent way to supplement your child's on-going curriculum with specialized instruction from a trained professional. Partnering with a tutor can not only enrich your student's education but can also help you identify weak points in their understanding, develop a curriculum, track your students progress, and prepare them for higher education outside the home, all while maintaining the flexibility and personal nature that makes homeschooling the right choice for many.

It's tempting to try to do everything on your own, but getting a little help can go a long way towards your student's future success. Math tutoring is an excellent way to supplement your child's on-going curriculum with specialized instruction from a trained professional. Partnering with a tutor can not only enrich your student's education but can also help you identify weak points in their understanding, develop a curriculum, track your students progress, and prepare them for higher education outside the home, all while maintaining the flexibility and personal nature that makes homeschooling the right choice for many.

Currently all services are offered at distance (virtual) on account of the on-going pandemic. Students must have access to a computer capable of running Zoom video conferencing software and stable internet connection.

Base Pricing Table

Discounts & Special Rates

Please Note: Terms and Conditions are subject to change at any time without notice. Send questions to contact@jerrymagana.net

Attendance & Absence Policy

[1] Students are expect to be on time to each of their sessions. There is a ten minute "grace period" at the start of each session, allowing time for unforseen circumstances that sometimes make students late. Students who are not present within the ten minute grace period shall forfeit their lesson for that day.

[2] It is the responsibility of each client to notify the tutor of an expected absense no later than one hour prior to the scheduled meeting time. Clients who fail to notify will forfeit their scheduled lesson for that day.

[3] Their are no refunds for lessons forfeited due to unannounced absences or tardiness exceeding the ten minute grace period.

[4] Repeated absences or tardiness will be considered cause to discontinue services at the tutor's sole discretion.

[5] Students are expected to remain present for the full duration of their sessions. Students who leave, disconnect, or otherwise render themselves unavailable once the session has started without first communicating their absence with the tutor shall forfeit the remainder of their session. There are no refunds for incomplete sessions.

[6] Some sessions incorporate a five minute break, which is included as part of the one-hour durration. Clients will be made aware when their session includes a break. Students are not required to be present during their break, but are required to return promptly to resume their session within the alloted period. Failure to do so will render a session incomplete and be subject to policy Attendance & Absence [5].

[7] It is common for multiple session with different students to be scheduled back-to-back. For this reason, I ask that students and parents respect the one-hour time frame for each classes, as delays in one class can affect those that come after. Classes that extend beyond their alloted time by more than five minutes will result in an additional charge prorated according to the base rate for that class format.

Payment Deadlines & Late Fees

[1] Payment for all services, with the exception of summer workshop enrollment, is due in full at the time of scheduling unless a specific, written agreement has been established between the client and the tutor.

[2] Sessions will be booked after payment is received. Appointments are given on a first-come-first-serve basis, and delays in payment may cause a particular booking to become unavailable.

[3] Clients are required to make payments via one of the services listed on their invoice. Cash, checks, and money orders are not acceptable forms of payment.

[4] In the event that a written agreement is established for payment between the client and the tutor in which payment is made due at a day in time other than the moment of scheduling, any outstanding balance which remains after the written payment due date shall be subject to a 10% compounding late fee on the total remaining balance for each day past the written payment due date that passes.

[5] Failure to pay for services in a reasonable and timely manner will be considered grounds to discontinue any and all services.

[6] The owner reserves the right to modify or reduce the outstanding balance of any client at his own discression.

Limitations on Discounts & Special Rates

[1] Discounts may not be combined. If a client qualifies for two or more discounts, the discount of greatest percentage will be applied.

[2] Parents of homeschool students seeking to qualify for the Homeschool Student Discount must provide proof of their student's active homeschool status. Appropriate forms of proof include, but are not limited to, an affidavit of intent filed with the appropriate local authority, or a letter attesting to the students homeschool status provided from a homeschool co-op or similar orginization.

[3] The Multi-student Enrollment Discount applies to the total cost of services for clients enrolling two or more students. Students must be from the same household, and must be registered under the same client account. Discounts are not cummulative.

[4] The 4-Class Bundle discount is provided for clients that would like to schedule a month's worth of classes (one class per week for four weeks) in advanced. This discount is applied on the total cost of services. Discounts are not cummulative.

[5] The Opportunity Student rate is given to families seeking tutoring services but who would not otherwise be able to afford them. This rate is set on a case by case basis and determined according to your tax bracket. Parents of students seeking to qualify for this special rate should contact me at contact@jerrymagana.net for details. Proof of income will be required in order to be considered elegible for this special rate.

[7] Listed prices do not include any local, state, or federal tax that may apply.

Coming Soon

Estamos orgullosos a ofrecer unos de los servicios únicos bilingües en el ámbito de clases particulars de matemáticas. Todos nuestros servicos puede ser ofrecido en inglés or español, que incluyen enseñar, provineer materiales en su idioma preferido, reportajes de progreso, y más. Enviame un correo a contact@jerrymagana.net por más información.