Mamie: I was born in Hong Kong, but my native language is math. My first words must have been numbers. I have always excelled at and loved math. In the 3rd grade, I felt insulted when my teacher reported to my mother that I talked during math lessons: I was teaching the students around me and doing her job! During the long boring summers, I wrote challenging math problems for myself to solve. My 5th grade teacher allowed the MGM (Mentally Gifted Minors) students to sit at a back table and self-direct our studies. I did stacks and stacks of math all day long, honing my accuracy and speed. I trained my mind to see solutions without doing problems on paper. This is a very important skill that I teach to my students today. My 6th grade teacher tasked me with teaching a fellow 6th grader math. I came in an hour early to class each day to be her private instructor. Unfortunately, my student did not pass the math final and did not advance to the 7th grade. This traumatizing event is instrumental in my work policy of “leave no student behind.”

My early experiences shaped the teaching strategies I employ today. I was very fortunate to be a part of a group of students in the Mentally Gifted Minors program. We were pulled out of our regular classes each week for small group instruction. In the 5th and 6th grades, two men in suits from the district SEED program came to teach a handful of us MGM students in teachers’ lounge. Much more than math, these men taught me to think, to reason, to approach math concepts as a critic rather than to passively memorize and regurgitate material. I had always excelled at math, but these experts taught me to imagine, see patterns, to strategize, to reach solutions by logic and to bring all that I know to a problem. Above all, I owe my reasoning and teaching skills to these men in black suits. I develop several new strategies each year as I strive to teach each student foundational math skills. Sometimes, I even come up with strategies as I sleep. My personal motto is to “teach and reach.” Due in large part to these exceptional mentors, BYU awarded me a 4-year full tuition scholarship. Although I loved BYU, I sometimes wondered during the harsh winters why I had not gone to UC Berkeley instead.

My first professional tutoring job came from an unlikely and unsolicited source. I absolutely wowed my realtor (and former Fremont Unified Superintendent) with my computational skills. I had mortgage payments figured out without the benefit of paper, pen, or a calculator before he even had the numbers punched into his calculator. It was mind over machine. My mind won! I became his daughter’s college math tutor. With this humble beginning, I went on to tutor for children of Fremont Unified School District Board members, teachers, math professors, CEOs and many others; have you tried teaching your own kids? I was invited to teach math weekly/biweekly at Mattos and Eastin Elementary Schools and American High School. Lee Academics was invited to teach at James Logan High School by Dr. Tommie Lindsey. We taught SAT, ACT, math, philosophy courses and Pathways to College for the forensics team. I am grateful to Tommie for allowing me to share my passion for education with his students and parents, and I strive to emulate him in bringing success to others and paying it forward to the community. Academics is very important. However, it is never enough to be just intelligent, skilled or trained. It is essential to be our best not just for ourselves but for humanity. We are all our brothers’ keepers. We must elevate each other and live our lives with meaning and distinction.

I am so fortunate to do what I love every day. I love teaching math and talking about education. It is amazing to wake up each day and shine light to those in “math darkness,” to be able to build students’ minds, to promote education and to help students succeed. I am so privileged to work with many great students and parents. Many of my students become my friends. Thanks for the great adventure.

Scott Nicholson: Scott started teaching SAT for Lee Academics as a sophomore in high school. Many of his SAT and ACT students attribute their success on the English, reading, writing and science to Scott’s teaching. Over his years of teaching, Scott has developed methods of teaching to make reading comprehension easier for students. Some students report being able to hear Scott as they take the SAT or ACT exams. Scott had a 4.7 GPA at James Logan High School. In Scott’s high school junior and senior years and as a Lee Academics instructor, Scott taught SAT/ACT at James Logan High School for Dr. Tommie Lindsey’s speech and debate team. Scott attended Rice University with a 4-year half tuition scholarship and a 2-year research fellowship before returning to California for medical reasons, finishing his degree at UC Davis. Scott is a National Merit Finalist and received many full-ride scholarship offers.

Jessica Nicholson: Jessica graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology. She was accepted into UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Davis and many top universities. Jessica received full ride offers and many great merit packages. Jessica taught math from age 13 and came up with “The Jessie trick” for graphing. She noticed a pattern while graphing and taught it to me. Jessica was using “a, h, k” transformations long before common core made is a part of many chapters. She did not graph with routine “T charting” until pre-calculus when her teacher required it. Jessica taught 2 groups of 6 physics and honors physics students while she was a junior in high school. Most of her students received A grades. As a Lee Academics instructor, Jessica taught at James Logan.

Lee Academics offers small group classes. This is actually best for most students. Many of our classes are 2-5 students. Students often learn better in cooperative environments; studies support this. Additionally, most students prefer coming to lessons with friends. They find tutoring with students from the same school more enjoyable and less intimidating. Often first time students may be reluctant to begin lessons. When they learn that their friends also come to lessons at Lee Academics, they are more open to lessons. Lee Academics tutors many students from Fremont Unified School District, New Haven Unified School district, and many private schools in the Bay Area. We are well-versed with the policies and teaching styles of many teachers in these schools. Mamie will create a course plan tailored to your learning style and math teacher’s curriculum. SAT and ACT students will also receive personal input and lessons structured to their particular needs.

Additionally, if your family enrolls into lessons with one or more students new to Lee Academics, we can offer you a discount for each referral who enrolls. Any new referrals must enroll within one week of your child’s enrollment for your family to receive this discount. This is a pilot policy of Lee Academics to be offered only to newly enrolled students.