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Kaninta Esmeralda
Kaninta Esmeralda
K-12 Math Education Consultant
K-12 Math Education Consultant
Meet The Math Enthusiast
Mathematician at heart. Math Education Consultant by profession. Favorite title: Mom of 2.
Innovative Math Education Consultant | Advocate for Underserved Communities
Expert in Personalized Learning & Promoting Scholar Success Beyond the Classroom
Before college, I never had an interest in math. In fact, I went out of my way to avoid it. From a young age, my dream was to become an architect. At the time, I believed math was too challenging for me to actually pursue that path. Instead, in middle school, I redirected my ambitions toward becoming a pediatric neurologist, aligning my academic goals with medical school requirements. To me, this was the path of least math resistance and maximum potential to help others in a way that exercises my strengths.
I have always had a heart for helping others, especially our youth.
Becoming a pre-medical student in college, I started focusing more on the sciences, than my mathematical know-how. In my sophomore year of college, I was forced to take a higher-level math course as part of my pre-med curriculum. I struggled significantly and needed (a lot) remedial help to maintain my full-ride scholarship. More than just learning how to perform math procedures, knowing when to apply theorems, and memorizing rote facts, I needed a better relationship with math.
Math would remain my enemy as long as I viewed it that way.
Thanks to my math professors' support and fellow math enthusiasts' camaraderie, I began to see the beauty in mathematics. Homework assignments transformed into enjoyable puzzles, and mathematical proofs became a form of poetry.
I loved it so much that I decided to change majors. Opting to study math and statistics full-time instead of pursuing pre-medicine, I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Magna Cum Laude.
My mission is to reshape the way our youth perceive math, helping them discover its inherent beauty and find the confidence to use math as a powerful tool to shape their future. This is easily reached through my math coaching program.
"The beauty of mathematics only shows itself to more patient followers."
Maryam Mirzakhani
Education
I hold a BSc. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, where I honed my skills in problem-solving and mathematical analysis. At the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, I earned a 4.0 GPA, where I learned effective, evidence-based teaching methodologies that empower children to take agency in their learning.
University of Pittsburgh
2018
Bachelor's of Science | Magna Cum Laude
Applied Mathematics, Statistics
Research Assistant for Chair of the Mathematics Division.
Statistics Intern for Chair of Divison of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering.
Teaching Assistant for Applied Statistical Methods and Calculus III.
+ Anna R.D. Gillespie Scholar
+ Green Scholar
+ Merit Scholar
+ President of Christian Fellowship Club
+ President of Pi Mu Epsilon Math Honor Society
+ President's Scholar
University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education
2019
Accelerated Master's Program | 4.0 Summa Cum Laude
2.5 CU in Secondary Math Education,
Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program
National Teaching Fellowship
Cohort of 2019
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation: A national teaching fellowship designed to provide clinical immersion with content-rich courses that specifically prepare candidates to teach in their fields of expertise in high-need communities.
My specific fellowship was with the West-Philadelphia community, working with English-Learners, immigrant populations, and economically disadvantaged families.
My Mission
I empower children to find beauty in math, take agency in their learning, and use math as an integral tool to build their ideal future.
Math Coaching Process
My formula for achieving robust client growth lies in my 3-step process.
1Build Relationships
Learning new skills, particularly in math, can often be a challenging and frustrating experience for many children - even adults! Understanding firsthand the difficulties that can arise in high-stress situations, I prioritize building a solid relationship with my learners.
I welcome you to join me for a chat over coffee or tea if you are local.
In a comfortable and safe learning environment, I understand your unique strengths, fears, and anxieties, allowing me to provide constructive feedback. The Constructive Feedback Cycle (of observation, feedback, corrective action, and reflection), has been scientifically proven to best support learning.
You will never be penalized for making mistakes with me. I encourage making mistakes and learning from them. Through our sessions, you develop a stronger sense of your capabilities and true potential. By recognizing and applying your strengths, you develop effective coping strategies for dealing with stress and adversity, building your mental resilience over time.
Research has found that positive, constructive feedback releases a surge of dopamine in the brain, which helps build motivation and encourages learning*.
*Bromberg-Martin, E. S., Matsumoto, M., & Hikosaka, O. (2010). Dopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting. Neuron, 68(5), 815–834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.022
2Deprogram Negative Math Stereotypes
There is a toxic stereotype that if you have difficulties in math, you are not "born with a math brain." This fixed, negative belief does not allow for opportunities to learn. Stereotypes, such as this, can become self-fulfilling prophecies. When you believe you are "unable to do math" due to intrinsic or indoctrinated stereotypes, you become uninterested and demotivated in your math learning. Deprogramming these stereotypes helps you gain a fresh perspective on your true potential.
3Reprogram Learning Through Effective Frameworks
Every learner is unique, with varying learning needs, strengths, and interests. I employ effective pedagogical strategies learned at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and through my urban teaching experiences. Customized pedagogy recognizes these differences, adjusts teaching methods to suit your needs, and provides real-time results.
Services
Level 1 Support
Best for targeted short-term goals like homework help & test preparation
$45
per hour
- Personalized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
- Flexible Scheduling (based on availability)
- Email / Phone Support
- Access to Learning Resources
- Progress Tracking
Level 2 Support
Best for those looking for intensive help (up-to-grade-level or grade-level advancement)
$75
per hour with 2-month commitment
- Personalized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
- Personalized, Structured Curriculum
- Priority Scheduling
- Email / Phone Support
- Access to Learning Resources
- Monthly Progress Tracking
- Session Summaries (PDF, videos, or voice recording)
Math Mastery Intensive
A project-based program to prevent learning loss in the summer
$300
for 6 weeks from July - August
- Personalized 1:1 Coaching Sessions
- Personalized, Structured Curriculum
- Capstone Project
- Certificate of Completion
- Email / Phone Support
- Access to Learning Resources
Program Requests
Looking to work together? Reach out with questions below!
Areas of Practice
Education
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)
CRT is guided by understanding and intentionally incorporating your culture, home life, and family dynamic/support system. It means I capitalize on all that makes you unique, empower you to use it as strengths, and relate it to math as it fits your reality.
Diverse & Inclusive Practices
Similar to CRT, I use and provide resources to help build a safe, supportive, and inclusive climate that celebrates different cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds, and how it relates to unique instructional needs (e.g. creating content that supports English-Learners).
Trauma-Informed Practices
Trauma does not discriminate and dramatically affects learning. Trauma-informed teaching lies on 5 guiding principles: safety (physical & emotional safety), choice (you are given clear choices on how to move forward), collaboration (shared decision-making as it pertains to our goals), trust, and empowerment.
Differentiated Learning
Differentiated learning refers to building lessons that respond to the needs of every learner. This means providing resources, developing materials, and varying my approach so that you can learn content deeply and effectively, regardless of where you are starting from.
Mathematics
Differential Equations
Differential Equations serve as powerful tools for understanding, modeling, and predicting dynamic phenomena: events, processes, or systems that are characterized by change, motion, or evolution over time. These equations are used to study weather patterns, chemical reactions, biological growth, economic trends, and even traffic flow.
Linear Algebra
Linear algebra involves matrices (rectangular arrays of numbers, symbols, or expressions organized into rows and columns), systems of linear equations (expressions that describe a relationship between variables in a straight line), and vectors (used to represent quantities that have both magnitude and direction). This is especially important in computer graphics, cryptography, and machine learning, enabling the manipulation of multi-dimensional data.
Numerical Analysis
Numerical Analysis is the art of using numeric approximation to solve problems approximately, yet accurately, when exact solutions are nearly impossible or realistically too expensive to calculate. This art of approximation can be applied to fields such as quantitative portfolio allocation (finance), risk management (business, finance, healthcare, etc.), and math/statistical software development.
Regression & Statistics
Regression is a statistical technique used for scrutinizing data to highlight potential relationships between variables. Statistics is the systematic study of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to gain valuable insights and draw reliable conclusions on a given situation. Both are often used in scientific research, economic predictions, and even deciding marketing choices (think of businesses using surveys).
Theoretical Calculus
Most of us know of Applied Calculus - often seen in high schools and general higher education math classes. That kind of Calculus dives into fundamental principles of change and motion. However, Theoretical Calculus uses abstract symbols within mathematical equations to represent unknown quantities. They serve as general placeholders and are instrumental in solving intricate mathematical problems and formulating general rules.
Vector Analysis
Vector Analysis uses vectors (essentially arrows with magnitude and direction) to explore the behavior of objects in three-dimensional space. This approach is invaluable in understanding forces, motion, and electromagnetic fields frequently found in physics and engineering.
Reach Out
Proudly serving in-person support to Eastern PA & the tri-state area. Located in Berks County.
© 2021 Kaninta Esmeralda