• Roots for Success

      Mathematics Enrichment and Tutoring

      for Elementary Students

    • Welcome to Roots for Success!

       

      Roots for Success offers math enrichment and tutoring for students in Grades 1-6. My goal is to make math meaningful, relevant, and fun for students. One-on-one sessions enable students to master math concepts at their own pace, develop confidence in problem solving and overcome math anxiety. Many students who struggle with math need support beyond what their teachers are able to provide in the classroom or their parents are able to give at home. I create a safe space and an enjoyable atmosphere where your child can get the extra support they need. Students look forward to private tutoring sessions where they can see a friendly face and have fun while learning math.

       

      Cost:

      $60/45-minute session

       

      Location:

      In-person sessions are in Cary, NC.

      Virtual sessions are conducted via Zoom.

    • Virtual Tutoring

      The COVID-19 pandemic created a disruptive shift in education. While most parents report that abruptly putting their young children in online classes was not a huge success, the trickle down effect for online tutoring has been surprisingly positive. Equipped with the technology, skills, and confidence they need, students are now able to easily hop online for personalized and fun virtual tutoring sessions. Technology provides a powerful platform for instruction and the digital tools at our fingertips are meaningful and motivating. Dynamic tools, such as Geogebra or Desmos, encourage students to play with mathematical ideas in interactive ways. More interactive play with mathematical ideas leads to deeper understanding. Virtual tutoring also has the added benefits of convenience and comfort. It is one less "shuttle stop" for busy parents and students can learn in the comfort of their own homes.

    • Testimonials

      Here is what parents are saying ...

      (parent names omitted to protect identity of students)

      Rapport and connection online is strong!

      My 8 yo daughter loves working with Sherry and Roots for Success. She started virtual weekly tutoring sessions about 7 months ago, and has made good progress in that time. It’s great to see her gain skills and confidence, and actually enjoy doing academic work. Her teacher also noted her increased level of engagement and enthusiasm during math lessons at school.

      We live in the western part of the state so all of the sessions have been virtual. The Zoom format, and using Bitpaper has been easy and effective. The rapport and connection Sherry has built with my daughter during the virtual sessions is as strong as if sessions were in-person, and is as much a testament to Sherry’s skill as an educator as to modern technology. We plan to continue working with Sherry, and are so grateful the virtual format makes it possible.

      Favorite teacher of all time, online and in real life!

      Both my children, aged 9 and 6, learned math with Ms. Sherry online during their homeschool year. We worked with several online tutors and Ms. Sherry quickly became their favorite teacher of all time, online and IRL. Her genuine love for teaching and children comes through in every lesson and even across the digital platforms. My children eagerly looked forward to class and excitedly shared their lessons with me. They both learned a lot and I’m confident that they will be ready for in-person school in the Fall with regard to covering the necessary curriculum and beyond. Thank you so much!

      Embracing challenges with new found confidence!

      Sherry is a fantastic tutor and we are lucky to have found her! She tutored our daughter throughout 5th grade, and she has returned for 6th grade tutoring. Our daughter went from struggling with her material and lacking confidence, to embracing its challenges and excelling in this subject area. The benefits to our daughter are evidenced by both her dramatically improved test scores and more importantly, her new found confidence! She now approaches math as a puzzle to be solved rather than a subject to shy away from. Our third grader has also started with Sherry this year. He looks forward to and loves his tutoring sessions. Sherry is an exceptional instructor. She pares her lessons with hands-on activities and real world applications that the kids love. Both the kids report that she makes math fun!

      Thriving with a totally different outlook on math!

      We are so lucky to have found Sherry to tutor both of our children in math. Before going to Sherry our kids thought math was “too hard” and intimidated by it. Sherry has definitely changed their perspective on math and taught them that math can be fun by engaging them in math games, puzzles, activities, etc. Now they are both thriving and have a totally different outlook on math. I would highly recommend Sherry to anyone who is looking for a reliable, nurturing and knowledgeable math tutor. Thanks for boosting our kids confidence in math!

      Kind, fun, and amazingly well-qualified!

      We moved a couple times, which left some holes in our son's math skills. As a result, he felt he simply "wasn't good at math." Really, he just needed those holes filled in, and a better all around number sense. We were thrilled to find Sherry to help get him back on track. Not only is she amazingly well-qualified; she is kind and fun, which made going to tutoring no big deal. His skills and confidence improved to the point he qualified for gifted math! We couldn't be more grateful.

      The positive rewards of grasping new concepts!

      Our son has become passionate about learning math with Ms. Sherry and looks forward to meeting with her each week. He has been able to gain confidence in understanding math, practical applications, and the positive rewards of grasping new concepts. Sherry is wonderful to work with as a teacher and professional​!

    • Contact

      Ready to get started? Have more questions? Please contact me.

      SUBMIT

    • Sherry Booth Freeman, Ph.D.

      Roots for Success grew out of my passion for actively engaging elementary students in learning mathematics. I enjoy working with students to deepen their understanding of math and to make it meaningful, relevant, and fun. With over 35 years of experience in the field of education - as a teacher, researcher, curriculum developer, and instructional designer - I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to each session. Each student is unique and comes to me with their own learning style. I find great joy in figuring out how content can be creatively developed and delivered to support their range of learning styles.

    • Frequently Asked Questions

      How do I book sessions?

      Contact me directly to discuss your child's needs and set up a tutoring schedule. I recommend 1-2 sessions/week. Continuity in sessions enables me to develop a relationship with your child and craft sessions that are specifically tailored to their needs.

      How do I pay for sessions?

      I accept payment through Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal.

      What is your cancellation policy?

      You may re-schedule any booked session up to 24 hours before its start time. No-shows or sessions not rescheduled 24 hours in advance must be paid for in full. Exemptions may be granted for special circumstances.

      What education and/or experience do you have that qualifies you to tutor?

      I have tutored students in math, on and off, for more than 30 years and I genuinely love working with children. I have a Ph.D in Curriculum & Instruction (North Carolina State University), a Master's degree in Education (Harvard University); and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics (Sweet Briar College). I have taught online classes for NCSU; developed and researched MOOC-Eds (Massive Open Education Courses for Educators); created and led online learning communities; developed online math curricula and interactive online math tools for elementary students; and developed online and face-to-face professional development courses for elementary math teachers. I have collaborated with a range of educational organizations including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, Education Development Center, Harvard University, Boston Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, North Carolina Public Schools, North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, The Jason Foundation for Education, McGraw-Hill, and Houghton-Mifflin.

      Do you provide tutoring materials and/or a curriculum?

      I provide all of the materials your child needs for tutoring sessions. While the skills and concepts covered during tutoring sessions follow a coherent order and align with the Common Core Math Standards, we mix it up with stories, puzzles, rich tasks, games, apps, and more. Math stories draw students in and bring math concepts to life. Math puzzles foster logical thinking, persistence, and creativity. Rich problem contexts and tasks invite students to ponder important mathematical ideas in depth and verbalize their thinking. Math games (a favorite) encourage strategic mathematical thinking and support the development of computational fluency. And math apps (digital math tools) make math more interactive. In short, we use a lot of different ingredients to make math meaningful and FUN! Much of the content I use are materials I developed through the above mentioned projects. Other materials are freely available online. Examples of online content and tools can be found at the following sites: The Math Learning Center, Geogebra, Desmos, Illustrative Mathematics, and Open-Up Resources.

      What are tutoring sessions like?

      Each tutoring session is customized to meet your child’s needs -- bespoke tutoring! Prior to the session I develop a series of activities for your child that will actively engage them in mathematics appropriate for their grade level. I frequently use math games, puzzles, stories, rich tasks, and math apps to help students develop confidence and skill in a fun and engaging way. If you would like for me to go over a specific homework assignment with your child, I ask that you send it to me the night before the session. A pdf or screen shot of the lesson works best but you can also just snap a picture of the lesson with your phone and text it to me.

      What technology do I need for online tutoring?

      For online tutoring sessions, your child will need a device (computer or tablet) and a good internet connection. In addition to Zoom, we will be using a shared online white board. Most students find it easiest to use the combination of Zoom and the online white board when they have a computer with a mouse and/or stylus and a large screen monitor with a camera (so they can see me and I can see them!).

      How can I best prepare my child for tutoring sessions?

      Make sure your child has had a snack and an opportunity to use the bathroom before tutoring. I ask that students do not bring a snack to face-to-face sessions or online sessions.

      For virtual sessions, make sure your child is comfortable with Zoom. They will need to know how to share their screen, open a new browser window, link to an external site, and be able to switch back to camera mode (so we can see each other).

      Math anxiety is a widespread problem for people of all ages. Even if you (as a parent) feel a little anxious about math, make sure you are conveying a positive attitude about math to your child. Positive math input at home is an important predictor of children's mathematical success.

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