Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Washington Township

Bob D'Orazio

BOB runs the business side of Mathnasium of Washington Township. He manages the Center on a day-to-day basis and is usually the first person every parent and student sees or speaks with. The opportunity to blend his business background with Kathie's education background seemed like a perfect fit with Mathnasium. Bob feels that Mathnasium is a great vehicle to build confidence in kids. "The Mathnasium Method develops 'number sense' that helps them succeed in math, and a whole new world opens up to them. That, in turn, builds confidence that is born of real accomplishment, confidence that spills over into all aspects of their lives. We have seen students improve grades in other classes because they no longer worry about Math." Bob earned a B.A. in Communications/Public Relations from Glassboro State College and has also taken additional courses in Business Management/Human Resources. Bob worked in Retail Management for many years. He served as a Commissioner for the Housing Authority of the City of Vineland for 22 years, the last twelve as Chairman. He served on the School Improvement Team while his children were in grammar school, and has coached both in-line and ice hockey while his son was a player. Bob served on the Mathnasium Franchisee Advisory Committee for the first two years of the Committee's existence. Elected to serve as a member of a committee of eight franchise owners, serving as an additional channel of communication for constructive, open, and two-way communication between the franchisees and the management of Mathnasium. He represented Centers in the Northeast Quadrant of the US and Canada. Lifelong South Jersey residents, Bob and Kathie have two grown children, a granddaughter (who attends Mathnasium), and a grandson.

Larry Martinek

Larry has spent his entire career finding a better way to teach math. From inner city to public schools, to acclaimed magnet schools, to leading private and parochial schools, Larry has served as both a classroom teacher and as an educational consultant. He has designed curriculum, teaching strategies, and teaching materials designed to help students and teachers learn math more effectively. He has trained teachers in the art and science of boosting students’ ability to “do” math, thereby increasing students’ math scores and feelings of self-worth. Larry is the developer of Mathnasium’s educational program – one of the most comprehensive and innovative curriculums ever produced for teaching math. While Larry is not an Instructor at our Center, he is a valuable asset we can call on to ask about specific students' scenarios for guidance and advice. This has helped to make visits more productive and enjoyable for many of our students.

Allison

ALLISON attended Rowan University, earning a degree in Mathematics Subject-Matter Education. She graduated in the top 5 of her class from Glassboro High School in 2015. She started taking math classes at Rowan University her junior year in high school. She has taken Calculus II, and III, Ordinary Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Discrete Math and Intro to Real Analysis at Rowan, along with all honors and AP math courses in High School like Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus AB and BC, and Statistics. Allison is a Math Teacher at Winslow Middle School. Allison loves math and helping others learn to love it, too. She believes that most people do not like math because they never understood the key concepts early on, which makes everything else difficult. If students were taught in a fun, engaging way- like the Mathnasium way- she believes everyone would love math. Allison believes that everyone learns differently, so the customized learning plan and one-on-one instruction at Mathnasium is very beneficial and lets the student have personalized instruction. This helps build student’s confidence, along with the balance between independent and one-on-one work. Once a student’s confidence is built, they will believe in themselves and their ability to learn and do well, which will make them a better student.

Lauren

LAUREN has been a teacher for 30 years. She has a B.S. in elementary education, M.S. in middle-level education, and is certified to teach math K-12. She is currently a middle school math teacher in Tabernacle. In addition, she has taught at Berlin Community School and for the Lenape Regional HS District. Lauren has written a curriculum for the National Center for Teaching and Learning. She is married and has 3 children. Lauren loves math and always likes to see when a child gets the “a-ha, I get it” look on their face. Even though she has been teaching for quite some time, she has learned several useful strategies while working at Mathnasium.

Ferdinand (Fred)

FRED has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering and has been teaching at community colleges and 4-year universities for over 30 years. Fred has taught a myriad of Mathematics courses from remedial to advanced mathematics. In addition, he has been a Chairperson of the Mathematics program at a community college. Fred has supervised full-time, part-time, and adjunct instructors of Mathematics for many years. Fred lives in Williamstown with his wife, 4 sons, and a grandson. He likes reading and watching international news and watching international soccer on weekends. Mathnasium of Washington Township is an excellent place where students are developing mathematical skills. As many parents are aware, mathematics is the academic foundation for other disciplines, especially in STEM fields. From his observation and experience, Fred believes that the students are very eager to learn and it is a joy to teach them. Students who come to this center can develop excellent mathematical skills that they will use in their elementary and high school education and beyond.

John

JOHN attended Rowan University, earning a Master’s Degree in Applied Probability and Statistics. He teaches mathematics at Atlantic Cape Community College, teaching courses ranging from introduction to arithmetic through differential equations. John is also a data engineer, using mathematical solutions to tackle real-world mental health problems. John has always had a passion for helping students succeed in both their personal and professional goals. His favorite teaching moment is when a mathematical concept “clicks” for a student. John enjoys working with each student he has come across and learning new teaching techniques via the Mathnasium Method.

Tameem

Tameem attended Mathnasium as a student for almost 5 years before becoming an Instructor. He recently graduated from Gloucester County Institute of Technology. During his years in high school, Tameem took Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra ll, Honors Pre-Calculus, Honors Physics, and doubled up on Honors and College Level Calculus during his senior year. He will attend Drexel University as a Pre-Med Biology major. Tameem discovered his love for math as a child. It was the one thing in school that he had looked forward to every day. As he grew older, he started to notice how much he was progressing compared to other students. He viewed math not only as a school subject but as a fun hobby. He was fascinated by how his brain could tackle complex math problems. Tameem enrolled in the Allied Health/Biomedical sciences program at GCIT, hoping to pursue a career in the medical field with his strong passion to help others. He was also a part of his school’s forensic sciences club and health professionals organization club. Tameem has been playing the guitar for 7 years and joined his school’s music/songwriting club. In his free time, he likes to draw, ride his skateboard, solve Rubik’s cubes and puzzles, play video games, and work out. During his time in elementary school, his parents enrolled him in Kumon, a tutoring service that helps kids with mathematics. After a few years of enrollment, he wasn’t quite satisfied with his progress at Kumon. Although he was succeeding in school and getting straight A's in math, he wanted more. He later stumbled across Mathnasium through some friends that also shared his love for math. His perspective of math changed after his first couple of months as a student at Mathnasium. Tameem thought that Kumon was lacking the passion and motivation for the students. However, Mathnasium gave him an opportunity to share his love for math with other students and instructors. Tameem believes that Mathnasium efficiently targets all struggles within a student’s mathematic ability through its customized student programs. Kumon may have improved his skill level in math, but Mathnasium has also taught him to have confidence in problem-solving. Mathnasium helps students understand that they are capable of mastering math; all it takes is a helping hand. He may not be a student anymore, but he continues to apply the Mathnasium Method in his own life to tackle problems from all perspectives. Tameem has made countless friendships and bonds with the instructors who today, work alongside him to encourage and enlighten all students to succeed and excel in math.

Eric

Eric previously worked at Mathnasium from 2013 through 2019, and after getting married and starting a family, has returned as an Instructor. Eric graduated from Haddon Township High School in 2006. After initially going to school for a degree in Music, he rediscovered his love for Mathematics and transferred to Rowan University, where he earned his B.A. in Secondary Education and Mathematics in May 2013. During his time at Rowan, Eric took a variety of Math courses including Algebra, Geometry, Calculus 1, 2 and 3 and Discrete Mathematics. Eric has been working at Salem County Vocational Technical School since 2015. He teaches Geometry and Pre-Calculus and has taught Algebra 1 and 2 as well. Eric believes that every student learns differently and at different paces. Mathnasium builds off that premise and offers students a setting where they have the individual attention of an instructor who can get to know them and adapt instruction accordingly so they can be successful. The success they have will give them confidence in their Mathematics skills that will bring further success in their academic careers.

Adam

ADAM is a junior at Camden County Technical School in Sicklerville, enrolled in the Pre-Engineering career program. As part of his school's dual enrollment program, he attends Camden County College full-time where he will earn an Associate’s degree by the time he graduates high school. So far in his high school career, he has taken courses such as Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra II, Honors Pre-Calculus, and currently College Calculus. He hopes to go to university and major in Computer Engineering after graduating high school. Adam is also part of a few extracurricular activities at his high school. He is a key member of his school's FIRST Robotics Team, where he helps with programming and data analytics. He is also a member of his school's Model UN delegation. Adam discovered his love for math when he was just three years old. After watching his older sister using a calculator, he decided to use it, not knowing what any of the buttons did. At that moment, the calculator became his new favorite toy. He took it around wherever he went, and started to learn what some of the buttons did. He advanced very quickly, and in second grade, his teacher even let him help other students who were stuck on math problems. This is where his passion for teaching began. Because Adam has always helped his peers in math while being a math student himself, he was able to get a solid understanding of the student's perspective. Adam believes that Mathnasium fully embodies this spirit. He believes that by creating strong foundations, the Mathnasium Method uncovers the drive that every student has to learn, even if that drive might not have been visible at the start.

Iyanu

IYANU is currently a Senior at Williamstown High School. So far in his high school career he has taken Honors Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Honors Geometry, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics Calculus Mechanics, AP Computer Science A, and AP Calculus BC. He is heavily involved in his school as well as his community. He is a member of his school’s DECA chapter and became an international finalist at the International Careers Development Conference this past spring. As a member of the National Honor Society, he regularly participates in community based events such as clean ups, Haunted High School, and many more. After he graduates, he plans to further his academic career at a 4 year university and get a Bachelor’s degree. Iyanu believes that the skills you learn in math enhance every aspect of your life. Iyanu hopes in tangent with the Mathnasium method that he will be able to provide a pathway for students to discover the wonders of that math can provide.

Richard (RJ)

RJ is currently attending Rowan University in his junior year. He is majoring in Mathematics while getting minors in Statistics, Physics, and Psychology. Upon finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, he will continue working towards a Master’s degree in the Data Science program at Rowan University. RJ took upper level math classes through high school, including Calculus 1, 2, and 3 among many other college level classes. He expects to finish his BS in Math in May 2025 and to finish his MS in Data Science in May 2026. After completing these degrees, RJ hopes to become a data scientist. RJ discovered his love for math very early on in his academic career. It was always his favorite subject throughout school. He believes that math proficiency can help in everyday life by helping you think logically. RJ first decided he wanted to be an instructor after helping his 11-year-old nephew with his math homework from time to time. Watching him grow and become better and better was great to see, and he wants to do the same for other students. RJ has always been very proficient in math and would love to help students get to that point too. He has a great love for math and hopes to help kids learn to love math as well. Mathnasium is a perfect place to do so. He thinks Mathnasium has a great infrastructure for building up students’ mathematical skills. RJ believes everyone can be great at math with the right help.

Emily

EMILY is a junior at Camden County Technical Schools and is a member of the pre-engineering career program. She also is currently in a program at her school where she is dual enrolled and is working on getting her associate's degree from Camden County College, all while fulfilling her high school requirements. Emily was enrolled in two math classes her freshman year, Honors Algebra 1 and Honors Geometry. Sophomore year she took Honors Pre-Calculus, and in her junior year, she took Calculus 1 at Camden County College. After high school, Emily plans to attend a four-year university to get a degree in elementary education. Emily is a part of her school's robotics team, as a member of their awards and community outreach program. Emily has had a love for math ever since she was 5 years old attempting to write algebraic problems with shapes and stars instead of X. She was always in awe of her sister, so she would try and replicate the problems she saw. Emily has been a math tutor for her friends in school ever since her freshman year. Emily loves the “Ah-ha” moment that kids get on their faces when they understand a math problem. She believes that Mathnasium is a great place because she gets to see that moment every day. Emily believes that the Mathnasium Method is a great way to help kids learn because the personalized learning plans and the individualized instruction are great for kids.