On Thursdays from October through May, a group of 16 African American Woodbury fifth graders meet in room 324 for after school tutoring sessions in math. The goal, says Principal H. Danny Young, Jr., is to teach the students advanced math concepts, which, in the future, will lead to placement in enriched math courses in sixth grade and beyond.
“There is so much evidence that suggests exposure leads to opportunity,” Mr. Young says. “These tutoring sessions will provide both and, even better, could go a long way toward addressing the District’s achievement gap in our STEM classes.”
The PTO provided the grant funding to pay for the sessions, which are co-taught by applied mathematician Dr. Andrew Jones and his wife, Julie Lea Jones. The couple guides students through discussions on the three properties of math, for example, or instructs students on identifying basic axioms.
Although Dr. Jones holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and a Master’s Degree in Pure Mathematics from Duke University, as well as a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Brown University, he was not considered a promising student when he was growing up in Cleveland. In fact, he was labeled as “Educable Mentally Retarded” as an elementary school student and dropped out of high school when he was told that he was not college material. It wasn’t until he met a tutor at Cuyahoga Community College who helped him to see that not all learning styles are the same. The realization was a powerful breakthrough for Dr. Jones, and one that ultimately led him to academic success.
Dr. Jones says he draws heavily on his own experiences as a student and strives to show students that learning is hardly one-size-fits-all. Leading students to pathways that work for them, as his Tri-C tutor once did, can open so many doors. “Tell me why I’m doing what I’m doing. If I understand why, then I can figure out how,” Dr. Jones explains, adding, “After all, everyone will choose fun over frustration. And everyone chooses progress over fun.”