Michelle B
I grew up in Western Massachusetts and in my twenties moved to the Valley of the Sun. I enjoyed ten years in Arizona. Most of them were in the Valley, but the last year was in Marble Canyon, near Lake Page and the Navajo Reservation. I am thrilled to be moving back after raising a beautiful child and a completing a successful teaching career. I earned an associate’s degree in Computer Science, followed by a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from Elms College. I trained at Northeastern University in Boston in the Interactive Mathematics Program, a very specific mathematics curriculum where I learned to teach in a student-centered way.
I believe that each student can be successful when they are given the opportunity to learn and explore mathematics. I enjoy teaching mathematics to young people, sharing a love of learning and helping students realize their full potential as individuals. I approach each student from a very personal and individual place. I know, and try to help them understand, that learning mathematics is based on effort, practice and overcoming the challenges that the work might present to them. I also love swimming, hiking and biking and am thrilled to be back in the Valley and working with Focus Tutors as a way to continue my involvement with teaching mathematics.