The Mathemagical philosophy
There is no secret potion or magical talent that makes someone "good" at math. Math is patterns; it is recognizing how everything fits together. Math exists in everything and the human mind is so good at most of it, we barely notice it is happening. It is a language we can use to describe the world and understand it.
More than anything, math is a skill, not a talent. Because it is a skill, math can be learned—by everyone.
Our Approach
Our Story
Behind the Magic
When I took my first university math course, my life changed forever. After years of a love-hate relationship with math, it was supposed to be my last year of slogging through the boring-yet-confusing subject. Instead, it kicked off of a mathematical career that saw me defending her doctoral thesis in mathematics at 23 and gaining over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience across all levels of math—from one-on-one tutoring to lecturing for nearly 600 students.
What changed? It certainly wasn't the field of mathematics. The most modern branch of math studied in high school and early undergrad hasn't altered much since powdered wigs were all the rage. So what, then?
For the first time, the world of math was presented not as a black-and-white chalkboard of symbols that comprise formulas for getting the right answer on a test, but as a colourful and expressive language that can be used to explain and understand the world in general.
What do an elastic band and cars at a traffic light have in common? Math can tell you. When should you take the next dose of medication so that you always have enough in your system to be effective, but not so much that it is problematic? Math can find and express that answer much more precisely than any other language.
A failure of education
For the most part, math is taught as if it is disconnected from everything else (except, perhaps, physics). It is the outcast of the academic world. Because of this, most "math people" (and therefore math teachers) tend to be those who magically connect with it exactly as it is presented. As a result, many teachers genuinely have no idea how to explain the concepts to struggling students because, to them, it is obvious. The students who do understand can go on to pursue math-related careers and everyone else is left to feel like they are simply not talented in the mystical art of mathematics.
This is nonsense. There's nothing mystical about math and there's no special talent for it assigned at birth (or any other time). Everyone has the potential to understand and excel at math. Some people simply need a little extra mathemagic to help them see it in a way that makes sense.
Meet Your Tutor
Dr. LeeAnn (Ellie) Barlow
Founder, CEO, & Tutor
When I'm not sharing my enthusiasm for math with the world, you'll probably find me creating something. From writing to painting to engineering creative solutions to daily challenges, I love anything that lets me turn ideas into reality.
Let's Meet!
Ready for a commitment-free way to get to know me? Check out my upcoming events for an opportunity to meet me in person and find out what Mathemagical is all about.