About me
Hi, my name is Katie Walker. I am a math educator, mom, and avid cyclist. Keep reading to find out how I ended up seeing a need for and starting Dyscalculia Tutoring.
I didn’t start out as a Dyscalculia Tutor.
I started college as an Oceanography major at the University of Washington. I quickly discovered that I wanted something that was more focused on serving people directly, so I thought back to my days in high school.
I was always the person people would ask for help with their math homework.
I started volunteering in an after school program in the Seattle Public Schools, and found a lot of joy helping with math homework. I met students there who thought they were bad at math. Their self esteem was affected by how they were doing in math. I enjoyed helping them find more confidence in themselves as they got better at math.
I added a degree in Mathematics and pursued becoming a math teacher. Almost every time I would tell someone I was going to be a math teacher, they had a story about when they decided they weren’t good at math. Very often it sounded something like this. “I was ok at math until long division.” Or “I was never really good at math, but once we started fractions it was all over.” Everyone has a story about their relationship with math.
After graduating, I decided to change scenery and moved to Boston. I got my master’s degree from Harvard, and then I got my first teaching job in the fall of 2005. I was 23. My students were 18.
It was very hard.
I worked long hours in a room with no exterior walls and the emergency exit was into another classroom. I was ready to quit teaching altogether, but a friend convinced me to try a different school.
There’s always a way.
That next job was also hard. The hours were long, and I really had no idea what I was doing.
I was teaching a group of students who had failed math already. Many had IEPs and learning disabilities. I had to try something different. So I tried everything, and I found…
Some kids like graphs.
Some kids like stories.
Some kids like numbers.
Some kids like equations.
Some kids like physical objects or manipulatives.
It doesn’t matter what they like, as long as I can find a way “in” … then we can start to build on their strengths!
“I’ve never had anyone teach math so that I could understand it before.”
That’s what one student said to me after I taught him Algebra. I also taught him Geometry. Now, he’s a real estate agent.
I will never forget those students, because they taught me the most important lesson about being a teacher:
Every child has their own way to understand math—I just have to FIND it.
Fast forward to present day. I have taught 5th grade through AP Calculus, in person and online. I have spent the last 15+ years getting better at finding out how students understand math. Getting better at building relationships with students. Both 1-1 and in the classroom.
I started Dyscalculia Tutoring because I am passionate about helping every student find the way they understand math.
And I know that resources are limited that specifically help students with dyscalculia.
If your child has dyscalculia, you want a dyscalculia tutor.
I am passionate about finding their strengths. And then helping them overcome their anxiety and fear by experiencing success.
Then can we start to work on their weaknesses.
My mission is to change the lives of my students by changing their relationship with math.
“Everyone can learn math. We just have to figure out HOW.”
— Katie, Founder of Dyscalculia Tutoring
