Q: What is the number one reason you see that prevents people from having fun with Math?

People do not have fun with things that they are not very good at. A person that is terrible at, say, chess, is not going to want to put themselves through to a certain defeat. It is similar to people that do not have success with math. However, if some success is made, a level of fun will be attained.

Q: What do you find fun about Math?

I enjoy math because every problem is a little puzzle that needs to be solved. There is great satisfaction in getting a correct solution to a problem that I initially did not know how to solve but spent time to figure it out.

Q: How do you help your students have fun during your tutoring sessions?

The biggest thing that I have found is the relational aspect of a tutoring session. Presenting myself as a real person that understands the difficulty in learning math is the most important first step. From there, a level of trust is formed and a more candid discussion can occur regarding a student’s individual math struggles. Once these things happen, I know what can encourage and discourage a student, and by focusing on encouragement, a sense of enjoyment can be achieved during a tutoring session. Overcoming the bad connotations and stigma that often accompany math is paramount in having a success in math.

Great thoughts from A+ Chicago. If you live in the Chicago area and are considering a private math tutor you are definitely going to want to check them out.

One of the most popular online tutoring companies out there is Tutor.com . This site has tons of tutors on hand that can give you instant assistance in almost any topic. This is particularly nice if you are at home working on your homework and you are pulling your hair out trying to figure out a difficult problem or concept. Right now they are running a special promotion where your first 25 minutes are free, definitely worth checking out!

Tutor.com has a number of good articles on Surviving Math Class. I would particularly recommend How to Make Math Homework Fun. While not every assignment is going to be fun, it is good to think about different ways to make Math Fun.

Some pros to this kind of tutoring experience:

• Lots of resources at your fingertips
• Instant access to an expert from the comfort of your own home
• Don’t have to schedule appointments in advance
• Saves on travel expenses

The cons:

• It can be more difficult to stay committed because there isn’t the same ongoing accountability.
• Monitoring your spending requires closer scrutiny.
• Another pitfall to avoid is signing up for a service and then not using it. This is easier to do if you don’t actually meet someone in person.

A few suggestions if you are considering one of these online Math Tutoring companies:

• Read the fine print.
• Look around. There are many great online tutoring companies. Make sure you find the one that is right for you.
• See what other customers are saying about there experience.
• Utilize free trial periods, but don’t forget to cancel the service at the end of the free trial if you decide you don’t want to continue.

These companies have been around for a very long time and are respected in the learning community. A large tutoring firm will usually perform a diagnostic test to discover the different ways that they can help the student succeed. Using the results of the test, they will then map out a tutoring plan that caters to the student’s weaknesses.

A tutoring firm will have many math tutors available and will be able to match up each student with the tutor that will work best with the student. A student’s strengths and weaknesses will be compared with those of the tutors and a match will be chosen to optimize success.

The large companies have many resources available to them that set them apart from other tutoring options. Various curriculums and lesson plans have been developed by these companies that are used during tutoring sessions.

The main drawback of working with one of the large firms is the cost. Math tutoring can cost $100 or more per hour. In addition to this, many companies require a certain number of hours purchased up front. Getting out of the contract can be a problem, as 10 hours or more are standard for the beginning agreement.

Also, it may seem that these large companies are less concerned about actual improvements and results when compared to other math tutoring options. A big firm can come off as being less personal and instead appear to be more worried about profit.

The three main types of math tutors are private individual tutors, tutoring firms, and specialized companies. The next two posts, as well as the remainder of this post, will profile these three different approaches to math tutoring and detail the pros and cons of each.

Private Individual

Some math tutors are high school or college math teachers and tutor privately as a side job. Usually, these tutor will meet students in their homes or in a public place, such as a library or a coffee shop. These tutors are usually more laid back than a big tutoring company and commonly more flexible with their scheduling. A student that is busy with extracurricular activities would be a good fit for this type of math tutor.

A private individual is probably the most convenient option, as the tutoring will often occur in the home. The parents do not need to figure out transportation to and from a tutoring center and can be in the same room while the tutoring session is taking place.

Working with a private individual is usually cheaper than a big company. This is true because an individual that is tutoring as a part-time source of income does not have the overhead that a large corporation does.

A third benefit of working with a private individual is that the tutoring sessions are more informal and can lead to a real friendship blossoming between the math tutor and the student. This type of relationship can be a huge benefit for students that are struggling with self-confidence in their math classes.

The main drawback of working with a private individual as a math tutor is that there is a risk in hiring a person that you do not know. The best way to find a private, individual tutor is through a referral from a friend or teacher. Yet, hiring somebody from a flyer or an internet posting is a risk, as very little is know about the individual. However, the risk can be worthwhile, and could turn out to be the very best thin