Q: What is the first thing a new student would do upon entering Mathnasium?
A: The first thing a new student would do upon entering Mathnasium is be greeted by Ilan, our center director, who would show them how to sign in and where to find their binder, and then he'd seat them and get them excited about learning.
Q: What does the first session look like for new students?
A: All students who meet their goals for the day (i.e. 5 or 10 pages) earn games at the end of the session, which provide additional opportunities to earn reward stars on their punch-card. New students get double-punches for every page they complete, and they also automatically get to play those games at the end of the session. It's very exciting and encouraging for students to complete their first punch-card on their very first day!
Q: Have you seen a student’s attitude towards math change?
A: Absolutely! We have one student who was crying each time she was dropped off for the first few weeks. Her attitude has totally shifted, as has her confidence and ability. While that's a bit of an extreme example, we have so many kids who come "hating" math, but that facade melts away very quickly when they realize that they can do math, and that it doesn't have to be stressful.
Q: What do you wish students and parents knew before they brought their student to your center?
A: Many families come to us because there is an urgent problem - a failing grade, a placement test, kids crying nightly over their homework, etc.
Students and parents would benefit from knowing that we prefer to take a long-term approach, so consistency over time is key. While many others can help children with homework, the greatest value of the Mathnasium program is our unique ability to target the needs of every individual student over the needs of the class, so they won't face these types of urgent situations in the future.
This also means that while we have the flexibility to incorporate any desired skill into a student's learning plan, the learning plan we develop to focus on the student's needs may not initially align with their teacher's curriculum, unless it is urgently needed.
