Local student becomes instructor
The greatest teachers inspire. That's what happened at Mathnasium recently. One of their own students has now become a teacher. At only 14 years old, the youngest math instructor to ever work for Mathnasium, Grace Wells has Mr. Miyagi'd her way into history! Even having to get approval from the State of Arkansas due to her age didn't hold back the budding math instructor. Once approved, she jumped right in. Loving it, as she told us. Here's her story:
At first glance, Grace is the all-american, small-town girl. With a beautiful smile for everyone she meets and a sparkling personality to boot, Grace is accomplished in many ways. At the age of ten she began writing children's books that are now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She is also a singer and has a Christmas CD out. She plays the guitar, piano, and is learning the harp. And if that wasn't enough already, she also performs at the Royal Theater, headlining many theatrical performances. She is a Black belt in Karate at the Doxa Arts Academy.
Math was the only thing holding her back. With supportive parents, they searched for a way to remedy this problem. Upon finding Mathnasium, they got more than they bargained for!
Grace had struggled with
her math classes for several years, and it really affected her self-esteem. She recalls feeling like a failure. Her
Dad would sit with her at the kitchen table and try to explain it, but she just got more confused. She tells us of feeling defeated and it taking an emotional toll on her. For a person who excelled in so many areas, this challenge was tough to conquer.
She began attending tutoring at Mathnasium, and everything started to change. She said she always felt welcomed and safe at Mathnasium and became
friends with the instructors. She noticed they were very interested in her as a person, as well as her life, not just about her math skills.
Grace explained that when coming to Mathnasium, the instructors would tell her it's ok if you got a problem wrong. They would tell her she wouldn't be in trouble; they would just explain it another way. That relaxed feeling made her calm down and be able to learn more efficiently. She knew she was smart, but she needed the confidence boost that understanding the math concepts provided. They inspired her to keep moving forward.
Team teaching is one of the principles of Mathnasium's core beliefs. The theory is ensuring students receive instruction from multiple instructors during their visit, in order to prevent “Learned Helplessness” and account for all modes of learning and teaching. That theory, as well as other teaching methods developed exclusively for Mathnasium, helped Grace recover from being years behind in math. Her progress improved so much, she was at the point where she wanted to help other students like herself overcome their fear and frustration with math, as her instructors had helped her.
Her math skills improved so much, Jim Bellamy, Center Director, jokingly said, “We should hire you!” And the rest is history!
As Mr. Miyagi would say “trust the quality of what know, not the quantity.” Grace feels that her instruction at Mathnasium gave her so much more than the right answers. It gave her the confidence to succeed in this area as she does in so many others in her life. Now she can add Math Instructor to her list of accomplishments. Mr. Miyagi also says “balance is key.” With all that she has on her plate, we feel Grace has also mastered that skill as well.
Student becomes teacher.