The following is a guest post by Westside Mommy contributors Jonna C. and her daughter Shelby. They wanted to share their positive experience at Mathnasium of Culver City. Westside Mommy was not compensated for providing this post.
By Jonna (the Mom)
I think it’s only fair to start off by saying I have never been good at math. In elementary school, math made me feel lost, frustrated and embarrassed. Eventually, when I had kids, I knew helping them with their math homework was not something I looked forward to.
Fast forward to today. My eldest daughter, Shelby, who is currently in fourth grade, seems to take after me in the math skills department. I noticed it when she was in first grade, but hoped things would change. Her father, who is good at math, would be a great resource if it wasn’t for his hectic work schedule. Alas, I had to find outside support.
First, we tried Kumon. Kumon teaches memory-based learning, but that didn’t help Shelby with homework. Being the obstinate person that I am, we stuck it out for over a year even though my daughter burst into tears in the car on our way there, begging not to go! (I know, “bad mommy”)!
Then, we tried three different tutors. Since we are a one-income family (being a stay-at-home is what we feel is best for us), cost is always a well thought-out process. We were lucky and found a few young UCLA students who tutor between classes. They were all great, but my daughter found creative ways to manipulate them, and the mental math block seemed to be gaining strength. My daughter’s frustration, intimidation, and embarrassment with math reminded me of my own experience with the subject. That’s when I knew it was time to (stop crying, and) find a real solution quick!
Thankfully, a friend mentioned Mathnasium in Culver City! They couldn’t have been nicer or more professional. At Mathnasium Culver City, they tested her math knowledge by determining her weaknesses and came up with a game plan to improve them. We had to go back to her previous grade’s work to help her understand everything she had trouble with in the past. This, they explained, would help her with confidence. It has. Also, during the first 20 minutes of every session they help with her current homework! Shelby attends Mathnasium Culver City twice a week. I will never forget the moment Shelby’s third grade told me she actually raised her hand to answer a math problem on the smartboard in front of everyone – happy mommy tears!!!
It has been about 18 months now and I am super thrilled to report that this has worked for us so well that I had to share the wonderful news with you.
By Shelby C.
I really hate math, that’s for sure!
But I began to like it when my mom found out about this place called Mathnasium in Culver City. It helped me a lot with understanding math. Before I went there, my math was so bad that a boy actually teased me when I didn’t know what 12×8 was (it’s 96 BTW). That happened when I had a tutor to help me. But trust me on this one, it did not help me one inch! My mom also made me go to Kumon but it had so much homework.
They make it so much fun at Mathnasium in Culver City by giving us stamp cards. There are stars around it and when you finish a worksheet, do your homework or even show up, you get a stamp! Then, you can then trade in your card for a prize. It is the best math place I’ve ever gone to! I hope you decide to do it too.
