Expertise: Math
Ages: 12+
I am one of the newest members of the Indie Ed. organization. I began tutoring math in Longmont and Boulder this past June, when I decided to explore teaching outside of a traditional classroom. I have spent the last six months working on developing my mathematics tutoring practice.
I have been involved in education as a teacher or tutor for the last nine years. My early involvement in education began during my undergraduate work at CU-Boulder. I had opportunities to work as a learning assistant and teaching assistant for the Applied Mathematics Department. It was through my work with Applied Mathematics Department, that I became a Noyce Fellow and Knowles Science Teaching Fellow. The former provided opportunities for me to explore the research side of education at CU, while the latter provided opportunities for me to focus on the development of my teaching practices and work as a teacher leader.
After graduating and completing my student teaching, I moved to California to teach high school math in Sacramento and San Francisco. After four years, my husband and I moved home to Colorado to be closer to family and I took a teaching job in at Mead Middle School. I realized that while I was still very passionate about education, I was not passionate about being a classroom teacher.
After five years of classroom teaching, I realized how much I enjoyed supporting students individually in their growth. I love working with students and supporting them to discover their strength and areas of growth in math. My goal when working with students is have them approach their learning in math through utilization of their strengths. I want my students to feel successful and encouraged by their work in math. I want to work with them to develop their growth mindset and see mistakes as a learning opportunities, rather than as small failures.
Most of my tutoring practice focuses on Middle School through College-level mathematics. I am currently working with Pam Allen to learn how to coach and tutor students who are preparing for their SAT or ACT.
I can be reached by email at julia.e.ratcliff@gmail.com