How Sofia Went from D to B
Updated: January 23rd, 2023
Sofia’s mom was looking for an AP Calculus tutor, and this was her message:
“Hi Tommy, My daughter Sofía is really struggling in AP Calculus. She is a senior in high school and could really use some extra support…. We’d like to start ASAP.”
Sofia's story was not uncommon. You can click this line and read about how I was once struggling to pass math.
Sofia and I met for the first time online. Her parent wanted us to meet in person, but feedback from my students suggested that they benefited greatly from online tutoring.
Despite searching for “AP Calculus Tutors Near Me” or “AP Calculus AB Tutor Near Me,” online tutoring is better. A combination of the schedule flexibility and the fact that I have TONS of resources at hand allows online tutoring to triumph in-person.
We ended up trying online tutoring for a week, just to test it out.
I noticed that Sofia was struggling with limits. Particularly in infinite limits where substitution doesn’t seem to work anymore.
Understanding limits was fundamental for understanding Calculus.
As I showed her how the limits work, I kept asking her more “how?” And “why?” questions to check her understanding. She kept answering them correctly. Sofia starts to get it, and she starts to understand Calculus.
As I showed her how the limits work, I kept asking her more “how?” And “why?” questions to check her understanding. She kept answering them correctly. Sofia starts to get it, and she starts to understand Calculus.
I asked her “on a scale from 1 to 10, how confident do you feel about these concepts?” and her answer started at 4, goes to a 6, and ended with an 8.
Sofia’s mom later said that “Her sessions…have been invaluable. She is feeling more confident now.”
Sofia and I worked together throughout the whole school year.
In each session, we warmed up with an AP Test Multiple Choice question and worked our way through her long list of homework questions.
Practice, practice, and practice took her from a D to a passing grade.
I gave her the space to ask questions, and she asked good ones.
The following are other traits that allowed her to improve:
Her curiosity
Early intervention
Willingness to be wrong and learn from her mistakes
Working with a year-long tutor
Even when Sofia felt comfortable in the class, long-term tutoring allowed her to reach her goals and ensure that she kept up with complex Calculus topics.
After months of tutoring, she got her final back. It guaranteed her a grade of a “B” in the toughest math class offered at her school: AP Calculus AB.
She now understands the fundamental concepts of Calc and is prepared to tackle her college classes in New York. As a Business major, Sofia is now more prepared than ever to take on college-level math classes while applying those concepts in her other Business courses.
Like Sofia, AP Calculus students can struggle with no way to study on their own.
When you find that your child is in a similar situation, click the button below for a free consultation. You’ll get to see if Calculus Tutoring is right for your child.
