Kirk's Tutoring

04/21/2026

It has been a while since I’ve posted these.

04/20/2026

This is the opening line to the book, “A Student’s Guide to Intellectual Work.” My mentor lent me his copy last week and I just started reading it.

Judging from this line, I think I am going to like this book.

04/20/2026

04/17/2026

This week I started working with a couple adults on GED math. Both are intelligent, capable people who didn’t “fit in” in math classrooms because their brains didn’t learn the way math was taught.

I see my job is to refrain the basics to get them a solid foundation before tackling the algebra.

This is the most fun I have had in a long time. The students are laughing and taking notes and giving me feedback like this.

What more can a math tutor ask for?

04/13/2026

Some of the best.

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04/12/2026

Some spring break photos from my home town of Northwood, Iowa with a couple of farm where my mother grew up and my uncle is still farming. If you see black dirt, it is my uncle’s farm.

There are a couple shots of the assisted living facility where is currently staying. Her move home date is May 31. She’s doing very well and I am proud of how hard she is working at her PT.

04/12/2026

More games please.

Games in math class?!

These are suggestions I've gotten for games math teachers keep in their classrooms that students like to play when there is some extra time.

We've got a mixture of classics and some new ones to try.

Comment games you love that other teachers should try!

04/11/2026

I’m not surprised.

Students who have a strong, accurate grasp of fraction concepts are rare. (2% 😬)

I surveyed over 2000 teachers spanning elementary, middle, and high school.

And what’s (maybe) not surprising is when I followed up asking what would help us help students struggling with fractions…

Teachers said again and again…

More hands-on learning.
More manipulatives and models.
More conceptual understanding.

The math tricks aren’t helping. (Actually they’re hurting.)

Procedures without meaning aren’t building the understanding students need.

That’s why I’m creating a session in the Math Intervention Summit this summer all about fractions.

We’re going to explore hands-on approaches to fraction operations that build understanding… even for students who are middle and high school.

Fractions aren’t just a little topic students learn in elementary.

Operating with fractions will affect students’ learning in every grade level, so let’s make sure they get it!

➡️Comment SUMMIT and I’ll send you the link to get your free ticket to the virtual Math Intervention Summit happening June 8-10.

04/09/2026

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04/03/2026

is more than math. This spring I am teaching anatomy and stuff to a homeschooler whose skills at suturing far exceeds mine.

Dissection specimens arrive next week and we begin the week after because next week is spring break.

04/01/2026

This is the Math Wheel of Doom. I was describing it to a math interventionist yesterday and they were in agreement that this is true.