s2 Math Solutions
Math Clinic
Stefany Snyder
*All sessions are held via Zoom.*
I work with students around the U.S. and internationally.
About Me
I received my degree in Physiology and Neuroscience from UC San Diego. Post graduation, I spent 10 years working in labs researching the possibility of islet cell replacement for diabetic patients, finding novel ways to produce therapeutic antibodies in microalgae, and developing new methods for screening cancer targets. Feeling the need to explore more creative fields, I spent several years taking art and design courses, which led to positions in interior design project management and international textile sales coordination. Along the way, as a parent, I found myself needing to learn how to teach math to my frustrated student. My science background gave me more than enough math knowledge, but I realized that knowing math does not mean one can teach math. I discovered the highly respected Making Math Real Institute and dove into their courses for educators where I gained extraordinary insight into the neurodevelopment of childhood learning, prescriptive methods for teaching math and why many students, including gifted students, often find math difficult. Teaching my own student and watching his eyes light up
as he made the connections and quickly moved through the levels after struggling for so long was inspiring. After witnessing the power of Making Math Real strategies first-hand, I opened up my time to teaching other students.
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-I have completed more than 800 hours of Making Math Real Institute courses for educators.
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-Experienced with homeschoolers, 2e and gifted learners, and students with learning differences.
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Marin County, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Corte Madera, Larkspur, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Sausalito, Novato, California, Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara * I teach via Zoom so students can be located anywhere. *
Testimonials
"When my son first started working with Stefany a year ago, he had just started homeschooling and was so discouraged about math and about his ability to learn math. He is a twice exceptional kiddo and many of the approaches in school and with popular enrichment programs weren't working for him. He told us that he hated math and it was his least favorite subject. I knew that he was very capable but I didn't know how to help him open up to learning. I found my way to Stefany through recommendations within the homeschooling and gifted communities. Working with Stefany for the past year has been transformative. She quickly identified gaps in my son's math understanding and set about teaching him with clarity, structure, and kindness. She is steadfast and persistent and works with him on each new topic until they both feel confident that he fully grasps the concepts. These days, he is excited to study math. Not only has he filled learning gaps but he has made huge strides and now talks about himself as good at math. Working with Stefany has taught me valuable lessons about how my child learns and how to encourage and support him. She shows my son so much grace and so clearly believes in him and cares about him. Every kid deserves teachers like Stefany".
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My son says: "Ms. Stefany is a really fun teacher and once you learn something with Ms. Stefany, you master it. I hope I can keep learning math with her for as long as possible". -Kelun Z., Parent
"Stefany is very clear and patient explaining concepts. She quickly established a rapport, and because of that, my child doesn't feel pressured, and is not afraid to make a mistake. She is able to understand where my child is getting stuck, and help them think through the problem.
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My child was upset about being behind in math, but with Stefany's help, are now excelling and excited about math. I am so grateful we have Stefany on our team!"
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In my child's words, "Before I started working with Stefany I hated math and it was the hardest subject for me, but now it's one of the easiest." -Anastasia M., Parent
"Our family had a great experience working with Stefany. From the beginning, Stefany was very intentional in her approach to teaching our son. She listened carefully as we explained his challenges and strengths around math. Hearing about her history in teaching students with learning challenges, we knew we’d landed in perfect hands.
Stefany worked with our child, identifying gaps in his math skills and teaching in a way that allowed my son to finally learn his multiplication facts, and to learn more systematic approaches to algebraic equations. Our child made steady progress with Stefany and enjoyed their classes. I would often times hear laughter as I overheard their communication. I wish we had found Stefany earlier in our math journey!" - MU, Parent
"Stefany devoted the first session to administering a dynamic, interactive assessment to get a sense of where my daughter was mathematically. My daughter, surprisingly, engaged with Stefany to answer the problems where she could and didn't feel bad when she came across problems she couldn't solve because of the way Stefany framed the questions. My daughter's attitude towards math noticeably changed starting with the first tutoring session - she stayed focused and on topic during the sessions, proactively completed and uploaded homework, eagerly told us about what she learned or worked on.
Within a week or two of starting sessions with Stefany, my daughter talked about numbers, looked for opportunities to calculate things, add up prices of groceries and compare it with the cashier's result, calculate sales tax, numbers and percentages in news stories. She started to enjoy discussing math, learning new math concepts, and now gets excited about math! It's an amazing transformation, and one that we're convinced will impact her for many years to come! Our only regret is that we didn't find Stefany earlier!" - MS, Parent