Our Team at Mathnasium of West Bloomfield

Kevin Steinhelper

Larry

Larry holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University and brings his passion for math and teaching to Mathnasium. After homeschooling his daughter for several years, Larry discovered his love for helping kids learn and thrive, making Mathnasium a natural fit. With six years of experience at Mathnasium and a strong background in teaching, Larry enjoys every moment of seeing the "light bulb" moments when students finally grasp a concept. He loves teaching all math topics and takes pride in finding creative ways to make math click for kids. A fun fact about Larry is that his appreciation for math began in chemistry class while working on unit conversions—he loved seeing how numbers fit together like a puzzle and recognized the beauty of patterns in math.

Sydrena

Sydrena has been teaching and tutoring for 14 years and brings a wealth of experience to Mathnasium. She earned her education from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Walsh College. Sydrena has a deep passion for math and enjoys sharing that love with others. Her favorite topic to teach is equations, as she finds joy in helping students grasp the concepts. What she loves most about teaching math is seeing the lightbulb moment—when a student finally understands an idea. Outside of teaching, Sydrena also works as an accountant, combining her love for numbers both professionally and in the classroom.

Fred

Fred brings over 30 years of math teaching experience to Mathnasium, having taught at Stevenson High School and Schoolcraft College. With a strong academic background that includes degrees from EMU (MA Math, 2016; MBA, 1985) and U of M-Dearborn (MS Mechanical Engineering, 1981), Fred recently retired from full-time teaching but couldn’t resist the opportunity to continue inspiring students in math part-time. He believes that practice helps people excel at what they love and finds joy in helping students build their math skills to foster a love for the subject. Fred especially enjoys teaching conditional statements in Geometry, as they provide tools for logical decision-making in real-life scenarios. Outside the classroom, Fred has a rich history as a professional tennis instructor and varsity coach, and he still plays tennis doubles on Sunday nights—a tradition since 1981! In his free time, he enjoys golfing, playing chess, video games, card games, biking, and boating on his pontoon, "Summer Daze." His favorite math joke? What did the acorn say when it grew up? Gee, I’m a tree! (Geometry).

Jacob

Jacob is a graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s in Education, specializing in Mathematics. Jacob’s deep love for teaching stems from his desire to help kids grow, gain confidence, and feel valued. He finds joy in sharing his extensive knowledge of math concepts and watching students practice and master new skills over time. While he loves all areas of Algebra, Jacob also enjoys problem-solving, exploring ratios, percentages, prime and composite numbers, and solving linear equations. Outside of tutoring, he spends his time playing board and card games, jogging, swimming, watching sports, and enjoying Netflix with family and friends. Fun fact: Jacob shares his birthday with his mom! His favorite math motto? “Effort leads to success—keep practicing to stay sharp in math!”

Allison

Allison is a Mathematics student at UM-Dearborn with two years of experience in tutoring and serving as a math TA. Working at Mathnasium felt like the natural next step as an educator. Allison has also co-published a mathematics research paper alongside professors and peers. Allison finds the most rewarding part of teaching math to be helping students finally grasp concepts that may have seemed impossible, bridging gaps and making math accessible and enjoyable. Allison's favorite topics to teach include geometry, proofs, and calculus, as these areas highlight the beauty and logic of mathematics. Outside of teaching, Allison enjoys playing video games, board games, coding, and solving interesting math problems. Their favorite math-related quote, inspired by Henri Poincaré, reflects their philosophy: "A mathematician does not study mathematics because it is useful; they study it because they delight in it, and they delight in it because it is beautiful."

Benjamin

Benjamin holds a Master's degree from Stonybrook University and has been teaching and tutoring for 8 years. His passion for teaching stems from his love of helping students improve and seeing them make significant progress. What he loves most about teaching math is watching students realize how different math concepts build on each other and how they apply to new situations. His favorite math topic to teach is geometry proofs, where students can truly grasp the logical structure of mathematics. Outside of teaching, Benjamin enjoys making 3D models and animations as a fun hobby.