MATHNASIUM MAKES NUMBERS PERSONAL

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT

Jacob Ulintz, third-grader at Pride Elementary School, said he used to hate math, but now he loves it.
He has been going to Mathnasium in New Tampa, 10030 Cross Creek Blvd., in order to improve his math skills.
“I like coming here,” Ulintz said. “They teach me good math. All I have to do is raise my hand and I have someone to help me.”
The math learning center teaches children as young as 2-years-old all the way up to students in high school.
“On the first visit we do an assessment,” said co-owner Monica Otero. “We try to find out what they are good at and what they need help with. We put together a program specifically for the student. The program is very individualized. We only give them assignments in specific areas they need work in.”
Tony Ulintz, Jacob’s father, said even though his son has only been going to Mathnasium for a few weeks, his math skills have greatly improved.
“Math is not Jacob’s strength,” Ulintz said. “He has a hard time visualizing mathematical concepts. Having the one-on-one help he gets here has helped him. He is doing a lot of repetition in the skills he is lacking. He just made his first A in math this year.”
Ulintz said the math learning center is helping to supplement where the school system is lacking.
“The schools in Hillsborough County move very quickly through the math program,” Ulintz said. “They don’t spend enough time with the children who are struggling. They are very adamant about sticking to their pacing guide. Repetition is what Jacob needs.”
Every student learns differently and some concepts are more easily understood than others. This is why the learning center develops a different program for each student.
“Each student has their own notebook with worksheets in it,” Otero said. “When they come in they scan the bar code on the notebook and go to work. We teach from basic number sense all the way up to algebra 1 and 2, geometry and SAT preparations.”
Several instructors are also always on-hand for one-on-one attention. There is usually one instructor per four children at the center.
“All the instructors here are great at math,” Otero said. “They all have strong math backgrounds and are really good at working with the students.”
In order to keep the children interested and having fun, the center also supplies learning incentives.
“We try to make math as fun as possible,” Otero said. “We have a reward system. Each time a child completes a worksheet correctly, they get a star punch on their punch card. Once the card is punched out, they can get a prize.”
Jacob Ulintz said the prizes help him to enjoy learning math at the center.
“We can get prizes,” Ulintz said. “Every time I complete a page, I get a punch. I enjoy doing math now, I used to hate it.”
Otero said the learning center is not just for children struggling with math.
“Even if a student is not having trouble in school, they can come here,” Otero said. “Our students are always learning something new. I even have some students in the math academy at Pride who love math. They just want to keep getting better.”
Otero said she has heard from many parents about how much the learning center has helped.
“I hear from parents and students that they have seen a huge improvement,” Otero said. “By helping the students to understand math better, it makes them more confident learners. When a student is struggling in math, it could affect other subjects.”
Most recently, many students were coming to the learning center for help with FCATs.
“We helped a lot of students prepare for the FCAT,” Otero said. “Our students had so much practice, they felt confident going into it.”
The learning center is run like a gym. The center offers a monthly plan, a six-month plan or a year. The student can come in every day the center is open for about an hour and a half.
“We have some students who come every day we are open,” Otero said. “Some of our students are homeschooled, some go to private school and even some are from Pasco County. It is kind of like a gym membership. The more you go, the more you will get from it.”
The center has room for about 24 students at a time, even though usually there are no more than 13 students in the center at a time.
Nicolina Otero, a kindergartner at Pride, said she loves to come to the center with her mom when she can.
“I like to learn math,” Nicolina said. “I love math because it is fun to learn. It is easy when I know something already. When I have to learn something new, it is hard at first but then it gets easier.”
James Parker III, a third-grader at Pride, said he doesn’t really enjoy math but he does like Mathnasium.
“I like the other kids here,” Parker said. “I like the way they explain things to me to help me understand.”
For information, call 994-0400 or visit http://www.mathnasium.com to learn more about the Mathnasium franchise.