Math - the bane of many students’ existence. At almost every level, it causes high levels of stress and can be an excruciatingly painful experience. Math will always be a difficult subject, but it has become increasingly difficult, due to the online learning that occurred last year and the complete absence of learning in the third trimester two years ago. This then leads to unstable mathematical base knowledge for the upper level classes in which students’ “overall performance is noticeably lacking” as stated by Ms. Beasley, one of the AP Statistics teachers. This is especially true in Calculus; trigonometry is a large part of the curriculum, but with the lack of basic trigonometric knowledge that would have been provided in Precalculus, students are struggling with the more complex calculus topics. Obviously, this leads to more stress and self doubt. However, the Math Center is here to help those students.
The Math Center, a chapter of the Mu Alpha Theta club and supervised by Ms. Beasley and Ms. Lucas, functions very similarly to the writing center, and has been realized after Ava Ignacio initiated the project in the 2020 - 2021 school year. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning at 7:15, the Math Center offers free tutoring to students of any math level, held in the Writing Center, across from the Edge. Additionally, on Wednesdays, ACT and SAT math help is offered. This club gives students the opportunity to receive help on their math but it also gives the students tutoring a sense of fulfillment as they help their fellow classmates. One tutor, Emma Arsenault, says that “it feels like I am making a difference when I can make at least one kid less stressed out about math.”
Aside from tutoring, the members of the Math Center participate in competitions that offer scholarships for the top performers, such as the M3 Challenge. And anyone can become a tutor; the only credentials required are an affinity for math and a desire to give academic aid to your fellow students. If you would like to become a member, contact Ms. Beasley at beasleyt@salineschools.org or Jason Chen at chenja@salinehornets.org.
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