Emily Benjamin is a local teacher based out of Shrewsbury that focuses on math education. My family has had the wonderful opportunity to get to know her and highly recommend her tips for summer learning (especially the app), as well as her awesome personal tutoring services. Check out our interview with her:
What inspired/encouraged you to start teaching youth?
I was inspired by my mother. As a young girl, I frequently went to the elementary school where she worked and volunteered in different classrooms. It was something that I looked forward to doing. I went to college and when I came home on school vacations the first thing I did was contact the elementary schools to see if they needed any volunteers. Now that I have Massachusetts certification in childhood education and have been teaching for two years I know I definitely made the right choice by deciding to become a teacher.
Is there one specific moment when you knew this was what you wanted to do?
I had a student while I was working in the Westborough School District who would come and see me in the mornings three times a week for extra math support. We would play games, review homework, and practice multiplication facts for the majority of the time. At the end of our time in the morning I gave the student the opportunity to talk about their day or to talk about what they did the night before. We related math back to the real world and I felt like I was really making a difference in this students life. On my last day in Westborough, the student came up to me and gave me a big hug and told me that I would be missed greatly and that I changed his life. If you can take a couple of minutes out of your day just to listen to a student or another faculty member it can make a difference in their life. That is the most rewarding thing about teaching.
What math related tips and at home summer ideas do you have for us?
Where do I even begin with all of the math resources that are out there! The first thing that I will mention is something that I have found most students love to do. It is an app for the iPad called Impoppable. It is a math game that has 100 levels of small games related to multiplication and division facts. Instead of learning the facts through flashcards which is how I learned my facts when I was younger, the students are using technology that they are usually quite good at using to increase their computation. Another great resource is greatminds.org. It is a resource where you can log on as a parent and look into resources that revolve around the Engage NY standards. I know that districts are incorporating common core mathematics and that it is not the easiest math to understand. I was taught a completely different way from how I am teaching it now but I can see the benefits from both sides. The last online resource that I can share with you is Zearn.org. This is a website that goes through the different modules related to the Engage NY curriculum and relates them back to interactive, engaging lessons that students are drawn too. The website can be used either on a desktop computer or on the iPAD. I used this with my students in Westborough and when I said we would be using Zearn they all were extremely happy! I always try to relate technology when possible into the lessons because I believe it helps to keep students engaged which furthermore leads to students understanding the concepts while having fun!
If you would like to reach out to Emily to schedule tutoring sessions for your child, her contact information is:
I am an elementary school teacher but after school hours I do work as a part time mathematics tutor for grades 1-6. I only do the tutoring during the school year as I move out of town for the summer months. I have also thought about starting some sessions for parents who are struggling with their child's math homework. I am located in Shrewsbury and my email is benjamine034@strose.edu. If you are interested in a parent session to learn the common core math or would like to set up tutoring sessions please do not hesitate to contact me at the email above
Thank you so much for your advice, Emily!
