Helping students make sense of math, find joy, improve, and accelerate through our 1:1 lessons, classes, and curriculum.
The 4 words I hear most often in tutoring sessions
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“I’m not good at math.” Students say it all the time. Sometimes with a sigh, sometimes with a shrug. But here’s the truth: “I’m not good at math” isn’t a fact. It’s a moment in a story. And that story is still in progress. One student used to tell herself the same line every week. It was her explanation for every mistake, every hesitation, her confusion, and inability to solve every tough problem. So we set the record straight. We started tracking the real story—the little wins she was stacking up each week. Like memorizing a multiplication fact. Solving a word problem without help. Explaining her reasoning out loud. Week by week, the evidence piled up. And before long, she said something different, something closer to the truth: “Wait. I can do this.” Wow. That’s the change I love to see. Because no student is “bad” at math. They may be inexperienced, confused, or lacking confidence, but those are temporary states, not permanent labels. When students replace the old story with a new one—the story of progress, persistence, and possibility—the results are powerful. Your Coach, P.P.S. We also have a brand-new Study Strategies class with a waiting list now open. If you’d like your child to build stronger study habits alongside their math skills, click here to join. |
Ingrid | Tampa Bay Test Prep
Helping students make sense of math, find joy, improve, and accelerate through our 1:1 lessons, classes, and curriculum.
Hi there, As the first half of the school year winds down, I keep hearing the same thing from parents: I can tell my child needs support in math, but I’m just not sure what the right next step is. December is busy. Kids are taking finals. Families are traveling. College decisions are on the horizon. Some students are slipping behind quietly, while others are ready to leap ahead but don’t have the right support. So this year, I wanted our Black Friday specials to give families clarity,...
She finished the problem and said confidently, “Done!”But when I asked her to explain her steps, she hesitated.Halfway through her explanation, she stopped mid-sentence and said, “Oh—wait. That’s where I went wrong.” Just like that, she found her own mistake. That’s the power of talking math out loud. It slows thinking down, reveals gaps, and helps students turn confusion into clarity. Why It Works When students explain their reasoning, they organize their thoughts, connect vocabulary, and...
She frowned at her paper. Everything looked right, but the answer was off. She started to erase it right away. But I asked her to wait. “Instead of erasing it right away, can you spot where things started to go wrong?” A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. “Oh! I added instead of subtracting.” That moment—when a student finds their own mistake—is when real learning happens. But as parents/teachers, it’s hard to watch this process. When your child keeps missing problems they should know, it’s...