The basics still take a lot of effort.
Calculations take so much attention that your child loses track of the rest of the problem.
ONE-TO-ONE MATH SUPPORT · GRADES 3–10
When math keeps feeling hard, let’s understand why.
Your child may follow an explanation but feel lost working alone. The steps don’t stick, calculations take too much effort, or frustration gets in the way of trying again.
I’m Mike, a credentialed teacher with experience supporting students with dyslexia, ADHD, and dyscalculia. I start with what your child understands, find where things break down, and teach in ways that help the ideas make sense. Together, we build stronger foundations, useful strategies, and confidence they can bring back to the classroom.
Let’s talk about your child
More “Oh, I get it.”
Less “I can’t do this.”
SMALL STEPS. REAL UNDERSTANDING.Less “I can’t do this.”
Start with the learner.Make the concepts intuitive to the learnerBuild a little confidence.
A FAMILIAR FEELING?
Does this sound familiar?
We’ll look closely at what is making the work difficult and choose a starting point your child can build on.
It makes sense with help
They can follow someone else’s explanation, but choosing a strategy and using it on their own is much harder.
Math has become stressful
Getting started feels overwhelming. A mistake can lead to frustration, guessing, or giving up.
MEET MIKE
Hi, I’m Mike Lee.
I’m a credentialed teacher with a Master’s in Teaching and experience in public and independent schools, from elementary classrooms to middle school math. My teaching has included students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, ADHD, and other learning differences.
I want to understand how your child thinks: what already makes sense, where they lose the thread, and what helps them work through a difficult moment. Their questions, interests, and ideas help shape our work.
My practice focuses on math learning, and I’m completing Educational Therapy Certificate coursework at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension.
MY BACKGROUND
- B.A. in Economics, UC Berkeley
- Master’s in Teaching, Holy Names University
- California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
- Educational Therapy Certificate coursework, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension In progress
SUPPORT THAT MEETS THEM WHERE THEY ARE
Support that connects to school.
Individual sessions for grades 3–10, shaped around what your child understands, where they get stuck, and what matters at school.
Build the foundations
Strengthen number sense, calculation, fractions, decimals, and proportional reasoning. We work on what the ideas mean and how they connect.
Make sense of schoolwork
Use current assignments to understand where your child gets stuck, make sense of word problems, and connect procedures to the ideas behind them.
Work with more independence
Practice getting started, organizing thinking, choosing useful tools, and checking an answer. We also work on recognizing when and how to ask for help.
For older students, I connect foundational work to current topics, including algebra, using materials and examples that respect their age and interests.
- 01
Understand the starting point
I bring together what you and your child notice, examples of schoolwork, and informal math activities. I look at what your child can do independently and what changes when they have a model, a prompt, or a useful tool.
- 02
Choose a few clear goals
We identify skills that would make a meaningful difference. A goal might be understanding fraction size, keeping track of a multistep calculation, or choosing how to begin a word problem.
- 03
Teach and connect
We may use objects, drawings, movement, or rhythm to explore an idea, then connect it to mathematical language and symbols. Your child gets opportunities to practice and use the idea in schoolwork.
- 04
Check what carries over
I revisit skills in later sessions and try them in different problems. I notice whether your child can choose and use a strategy with less prompting, including using tools independently. We review what is helping and adjust when an approach is not producing useful progress.
- 05
Keep you informed
I share the goals we are working toward, what I’m observing, and what still needs support. We can discuss how the work connects to school and what practice at home would be manageable.
SEE THE APPROACH IN ACTION
Different starting points.
The same goal: understanding.
A LOOK AT THE APPROACH
Making fractions make sense.
A student might remember that 1/2 and 2/4 are equivalent without understanding why. We could build both with fraction strips, draw them, and connect the equal amounts to the symbols.
I would look for whether the student can explain what stays the same when a whole is divided into more equal parts, then use that idea with a different pair of fractions.
1/2
2/4
Different-sized equal parts.
An example of the approach, not a student result.
Making algebra make sense.An interactive balance scale: see why the same change on both sides keeps an equation true.
ANOTHER WAY INTO ALGEBRA
How much does one bag weigh?
A student may remember the steps for solving an equation but lose track of why they work. A balance scale makes equality visible. Explore the objects, then connect each action to a written equation.
- 01 Matching bags
- 02 Matching weights
- 03 Equal groups
- 04 One bag
Identical bags · unknown weightEach weight = 1 unit
Balanced · equal weight
The bags are identical. A level scale means the total weight on one side equals the total weight on the other.
01 · Remove matching bags
What can we take away together?
Select one bag on each side, or use the button below.
What if we change only one side?
Make a prediction, then try it. Which side will be heavier?
THE SAME IDEA IN SYMBOLS3x + 6 = x + 14x is the weight of one bag, measured in units.
x = 4
One bag weighs four units.
Connect the actions to the algebra
Can the idea travel to a new problem?
Next, I would ask the student to solve another equation without the scale and explain why each step keeps the sides equal. If they get stuck, we reconnect the written step to the balance.
I look for whether a student can explain what keeps an equation equal, then use that understanding in a different problem with less support.An illustrative teaching example, not a student result.
More ways into mathExplore rhythm and multiplication, or share apples to understand division.
GETTING STARTED
First, a conversation.
Tell me what you and your child are noticing, what has already been tried, and what you hope will become easier. We’ll discuss whether my approach fits your child’s needs.
If we decide to work together, we’ll agree on a schedule and starting goals. Schoolwork and any existing evaluations you choose to share can help inform the plan.
Let’s talk about your childSession details
In-person sessions are available in San Francisco, at your home or a library by arrangement. Online sessions take place over Zoom.
We’ll discuss a frequency that fits your child’s goals and your family’s schedule, and review it as the work develops.
I’ll share the session length, current rate, and practice policies before we begin. Please reach out for availability and pricing.
How is this different from homework tutoring?
Schoolwork helps me see the challenges your child is facing. We also work on the understanding and strategies that make future assignments easier to approach. Depending on the need, a session may combine current schoolwork with focused work on an underlying skill.
Does my child need a diagnosis?
No diagnosis is needed to start a conversation. Tell me what you and your child are noticing. If you have existing evaluations or school information, we can discuss how they might inform our work.
What happens during a session?
We check in, work on a focused goal, and give your child opportunities to practice. That might include building or drawing a concept, thinking through a school problem, or trying a strategy for organizing work. We finish by noticing what helped and what needs another look.
Can you work with my child’s teacher?
With your written permission, I can communicate with your child’s teacher about relevant goals, classroom demands, and strategies that may support learning. We’ll agree on what collaboration would be useful.
Do you provide diagnostic evaluations?
I use informal math activities, observations, and schoolwork to guide instruction. These do not diagnose a learning disability. A formal diagnostic evaluation is a separate process, and we can discuss connecting with an appropriate evaluator if needed.
LET’S TALK
Tell me a little about your child.
What is feeling hard in math? What does your child enjoy? What would you most like to see become easier? A few sentences are plenty.
Send me a message using the form, or email me directly. We’ll arrange an initial phone conversation about your child and how I may be able to help.