Thanks to the help of Normal Community High School and Illinois State University, the Bloomington-Normal Math Tutoring (bntutor.com) network has been able to help more students than ever reach their goals of improving their math scores.
Founder Joe McDonald is currently serving 29 students personally on a weekly basis, ranging from 8th grade to senior in college, in subjects from algebra through calculus.
On average, BNMT is contacted by a new student once every three days. The rapid growth led McDonald to begin recruiting other local tutors to form a referral network. So far this semester three ISU students, one an education graduate and the others actuarial science majors, have joined the mission. He has also reached out to another local tutoring business owner, Miles Maggio of Miles of Success Tutoring, to make sure that students get the assistance they need.
McDonald began BNMT six years ago, first on a purely volunteer basis, before retiring as a State Farm Insurance actuary to dedicate himself more fully to the cause.
He credits the staff at Normal Community High School, where he formerly assistant coached boys basketball, for making BNMT what it is today. Circumstances such as the nationwide educational Common Core initiatives which have begun to upend traditional teaching in the United States have also contributed.
"With state budget cuts, larger class sizes, and the effects of Common Core on both teachers and families, there's a more pressing need than ever for partners to help supplement education. The teacher and counselor referrals from NCHS have been a blessing in helping us to gain experience. Each year we get a little better at what we do, and are able to serve more schools."
BNMT currently rosters students from NCHS, Normal Community West High School, Bloomington High School, University High School, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Illinois State University. In all, more than 40 students are under tutelage.
These days McDonald is exploring virtual tutoring and group tutoring.
"You can never dream too big. It's exciting to consider the possibility of affecting lives from coast to coast. With technology, persistence and humility, almost anything is possible."
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