Learning to love math one problem at a time
For Carrie Rannow, interacting with students and watching them grow was her favorite part of being a social worker.
When she quit to become a full-time stay-at-home mom, she missed being able to teach. It’s that passion that inspired her to take on a role at EQPD, where she has been tutoring students in math for the last year. Rannow said that the students she tutors often say they dislike a subject because they don’t understand the concepts. Her goal is to make the whole experience fun to help them grow a deeper understanding of math and, ultimately, master each skill.
“One of my students did poorly on assessments for her grade level and the one below. Her confidence wasn’t great, and I could tell she didn’t really like math,” Rannow said. “After our cycle of sessions together, she was completing her assignments quickly and getting all the answers right. It was amazing to watch her finally understand and experience her excitement.”
Tutoring has also taught Rannow a lot about herself. She said she knew she loved education, but only realized just how passionate she was when she started tutoring with EQPD. She said that tutoring has also inspired her as she brings conversation starters to her relationships with her own kids when they are doing homework together.
“During tutoring sessions, I like to start with an icebreaker to get to know my students better and make sure they are doing okay,” Rannow said, “I want them to leave understanding a few more math concepts and that someone cares about them.”
Rannow’s loves tutoring and being able to help her students succeed, one math problem at a time.
