AV Beat - Math Magic

They started with one student, but word spread quickly, and they now have nearly two hundred regular students.

“We work with 1st graders all the way up to adults in college or those who are preparing for city and county employment tests,” said Sinness. “We have middle school and high school students, a few college students, and teachers refreshing for the CBEST test.”

The speed with which their business has grown is due almost entirely to the success rate of their clients, and the ensuing word of mouth. “We started off in a small house, but we outgrew it and moved into a larger facility on May 1st,” recalled Sinness. Their new facility is at 41715 50th St West, right near Quartz Hill Elementary School.

Sinness explained they have a few basic tenets to their approach that seem to be working well. “We have set up a very inviting atmosphere. We also focus on pre-teaching when the opportunity is there, so students understand concepts ahead of time. There is so much less confusion for them when they sit in class and they have already been introduced to the new material.”

Generally, the tutoring sessions involve more than one student. “We’re not real keen on one-on-one instruction,” said Sinness. “That can lead to students becoming too dependent on the tutor. We encourage self-directed learning, so they can eventually use their own skills to solve problems.”

The tutoring staff is dominated by high-achieving high school students. Among them are three Quartz Hill High students, Shivani Dharmaraja, Eric Zhu, and Miles Levy-Nordhoff. All three will be heading off to college soon – to UCLA, Berkeley, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, respectively. “We have 15 tutors right now, and 10 of them will be leaving soon,” said Sinness. “All will be attending either a UC school or a Cal Poly. These are some really brilliant kids.”

Sinness, a fulltime teacher at Pete Knight High School, makes it clear that tutoring is not limited to math. “We tutor in just about everything, including physics, chemistry, and Spanish. We also advise on science projects.” Co-Owner Fletcher is a retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff. She brings extensive experience in customer service and computer applications. She also previously worked for the FBI and FAA.

Fletcher and Sinness are busy planning their summer session. “We’ll have a structured 3-hour morning session dedicated to reviewing major standards from the previous year,” said Sinness. “We’ll also get into concepts that will be addressed during the upcoming school year.” The afternoon session will focus on various subjects students wish to explore, including arts and crafts and journalism. In the evening the focus will return to their bread and butter, geometry and algebra readiness. In addition, the lab will be open for regular tutoring throughout the summer.

For more information on Math Magicians, use the link below to visit their web site, or call them at 661-718-3699.