Testimonials

June 28, 2010
As a parent and an educator, I have struggled to provide my 10 year old daughter with the support she needs in the area of mathematics. It is particularly frustrating to me, as someone who has spent over 20 years and earned a doctorate in the field of special education, to not be able to provide my child with the assistance she needs to build her self-confidence and to experience success with math. However, I am also keenly aware that it is often most difficult for parents to tutor their own children.
Therefore, I began looking into mathematics support for my daughter mid-way through her fourth grade year. I researched Kumon, Learning RX and Sylvan and interviewed their directors. These resources were ruled out, both because of expense and their philosophy. My daughter didn’t need additional busy-work and pressure. What she needed was empathetic and competent support, and a place that could build her confidence when facing math each day at school. Out of desperation, I even had my daughter’s school’s staff evaluate her for a learning disability in hopes that her delays might warrant some special education services for math support; but she didn’t qualify. Then one day, a flyer appeared on my door for a Mathnasium Learning Center that was opening right in our neighborhood. Because I am a professor of education, I am more skeptical than most, so I went in and spoke with the director, Tessa Holmes. I did my research on the internet; read every brochure that Tessa had to offer and spoke with her staff. Then I had my daughter participate in some activities and I observed. Math homework at our house was a nightmare. Before the papers were even out of the folder and on to the table, the tears began to flow. Not just my daughter’s, but my own, as I was so frustrated that I couldn’t get concepts through to her, and because it was so painful to watch her struggle. So, I went ahead and invested in some initial math assessments for my daughter at Mathnasium, and signed her up for a 10 session program.
I am happy to report that after only 6 sessions my daughter’s confidence with math has improved exponentially and she really looks forward to going to her sessions. Her anxiety is reduced and she no longer cries during her visits to Mathnasium. She is recalling multiplication facts that she did not know before she started, despite flashcards and hours of working with her at home. Best of all, she says she “loves going!” I attribute her new attitude about math to the knowledgeable, supportive, patient and incredibly friendly staff that Tessa has employed. While at Mathnasium, my daughter practices skills that she never learned in her classroom. She has been introduced to new concepts and even gets to play board games with staff which require various types of computation to play. Embedding play into learning is a great way for kids to master challenging skills, and the staff at Mathnasium manages to accomplish instruction and make the interactions fun! They have made a believer out of this professional educator and one very high-anxiety previous math-hating kid and therefore have earned our regular business, and my endorsement as both an educator and parent.
I highly recommend Mathnasium Learning Center at Rockrimmon, and Tessa Holmes and her staff, to any family with a child struggling in math like mine did! It truly works!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lynda Mills