When Math Corps launched in Poughkeepsie, New York last school year, Rosemarie served as part of our very first cohort of tutors. Tutoring became a central part of her “second act” and offered the opportunity to get out and be more engaged in her community during retirement. With decades of experience volunteering on boards and fundraising for schools, Rosemarie was excited at the chance to support students in a new way and work with them directly.
“I always wanted to be a schoolteacher, but my life’s path didn’t go that way,” she explains. “When I saw this, it was like a gift.”
As a K-3 Math Tutor, Rosemarie tutors Poughkeepsie students in pairs or groups of three to help them better grasp the fundamentals of math. Using Math Corps’ evidence-based techniques, she can help students build their skills without a teaching degree or any prior experience in the classroom. Best of all, these strategies incorporate fun activities like “math I spy” that are proven to work and engage students in their learning.
“I would say to them, ‘I spy a seven in the hundreds place’ and see the way they just scour around so invested in it,” says Rosemarie. “Then they want to go into bigger numbers: ‘Can we do ten-thousands?’”
Making Personal Connections
Working with each group of students 20 minutes each day over the course of the year, Rosemarie enjoys getting to know them and their interests. When her school began construction on a new playground, she noticed their fascination with watching it being built piece by piece and took the opportunity to make a real-world math connection.
“The students were up against the windows watching this playground go in, and I’d say, ‘Let’s look at all the ways that math goes into building this playground,’ and they were like, ‘What do you mean, math?’ I told them the builders had to figure out the size. They look at what shape the playground is. How do you think they figured that out? It made them realize how much math is in their life, and they don’t even realize it.”
Rosemarie has been impressed by how much better her students understand math than she did when she was in school, especially word problems. In addition to solving word problems, Math Tutors also explain concepts like using currency or comparing sizes. The work is all part of helping students connect ideas and better understand the skills they need to use in order to solve problems.
“The way we explain it to the children is different, but I think that the children can understand it better because they can see why it happens,” she says. “I have like the two or three students that when they get it, there’s just a physical response. Their eyes open wide. I love the way that tutoring presents it in a way that they’re engaged.”
Support for Students and Support for Tutors
These moments of understanding are some of Rosemarie’s favorite parts of tutoring. And amidst the fun, engaging activities, Rosemarie also knows she has a great support system from both her school and Math Corps when she needs help.
“I can just call up my school district coach or my Math Corps coach, and they say, ‘Try this,’ or ‘Come and watch.’ That kind of support I feel is priceless,” she says.
Rosemarie made such an impact on her students that her school district honored her as an “Exemplary Educator” during an end-of-the-year ceremony! And after such a phenomenal first year, Rosemarie is back for the 2024-25 school year to continue supporting students in math! We’re so excited to see how she and her fellow tutors will continue to make an incredible difference in Poughkeepsie.
If you’d like to help students multiply their future opportunities, consider becoming a math tutor. We offer opportunities to serve 35, 25, or 18 hours a week with options to start in August, October, or January. Visit join.readingandmath.org to learn more and apply today!