Math-for-Girls is a life-changer. After receiving a discalculia diagnosis in 8th grade for my daughter, I found Vali and math for girls. What a game changer! After trying different interventions and math tutors over the years, I really didn't have much hope for my daughter ever making progress in math after receiving an official diagnosis for a specific math disability. Vali was very clear that she wasn't specially trained to work with discalculic kids, but we decided to give her a try anyways. My daughter was skeptical about another tutor and not excited about extra math after school. I'm so glad we gave Vali a try. My daughter learned more in 9 months with Vali than she had in 9 years of regular math class. Even more importantly, she is feeling so much more confident about doing math and feels like she has an array of strategies to approach a challenging problem. The engagement and confidence she is now feeling in regard to math is remarkable. We have now transitioned to Tia, one of the terrific Math-for-Girls tutors, to continue remediating middle school math while also supporting the transition into High School math. My daughter enjoys her time with Vali and Tia so much - actually looking forward to math, working independently on problems/skills between sessions, and is proud of her progress. Vali and Tia are both so positive in their teaching approach and really paying attention to where a concept is shaky or understanding may be incomplete. They are terrific at communicating what has been covered and setting expectations. My only wish is that we had found Math-for-Girls earlier. If you have a math avoidant student - call Vali! read more

Vali is an extraordinary asset to the students and families she works with. She makes math both fun and attainable; the ultimate goal of most of us in the math education field! I've been so fortunate to work with a number of Vali's students in my own business as they have needed test prep or moved on to their high school math phase. Each student Vali previously worked with has been engaged, curious, and motivated about their math education, a testament to Vali's wonderful mission to educate and inspire girls and her remarkable success in achieving this! read more

Working with Vali at Math4Girls, my 10-year-old daughter has gone from being anxious about the subject to loving math. Vali helps students understand how everything fits together, meeting them at their current level and building to more advanced topics, all the while keeping math fun and engaging. We have watched our daughter grow in both her math abilities and self-confidence. Vali gets our most enthusiastic recommendation. read more

Vali is the absolute best! We wanted to augment our 10-year-old daughter's math education as it is her favorite subject. She has many activities but looks forward to her sessions with Vali the most! She is always so excited before and after the sessions. Vali is a natural with kids and makes learning so enjoyable for her students. Her ability to identify both strengths and areas that could use more work allow her to craft a lesson plan that is perfect for the student to fully grasp and master concepts. She is also so good about sharing what our daughter is working on and why it is important. We highly recommend her to anyone! read more

My daught er looks forward to her weekly sessions with Tia who is an absolute gem with kids. She is smart, empathetic and can relate and motivate my daughter. My daughter needed more enrichment then her school could provide and I researched a variety of places from online to group to 1:1 tutoring. No one could provide the level of tailored tutoring that Math4Girls, Vali and Tia deliver. They make math fun, interesting and are pro's at taking math to the next level. They review concepts at various levels (that schools don't cover in depth) and teach it in a way that resonates with kids. As a parent, I appreciate the detailed feedback, screenshots and notes after EVERY session. Take a look at the attached photos. Now, my daughter and I can have a conversation and I feel 100% confident that she is growing and learning. With other places, I had a vague idea but never really understood what was covered and areas of strength and growth that are needed. I truly believe this is because of Vali's passion for math and the high quality of her math associates. Vali is also always available for questions and has quick turnaround on communication. I'm never wondering what is going on. I wish all math teachers had Vali's passion, smarts and knack for just getting our kids. Now I understand why when I asked about math tutors, I heard...Do you know Vali and Math4Girls over and over :) I can recommend Math4Girls with high confidence given our deep and consistent experience. read more

Math4Girls - Private Tutors Near Me

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Vali has been an inspiration for our 14 year old daughter! She has a gift for explaining concepts that my daughter, initially, could not grasp, but with Vali's help, she has improved dramatically. During Covid, my daughter fell far behind in math. Vali has helped her make up that deficit and then some. She has been kind and compassionate, even when my daughter was resistant to help. Most importantly, my daughter's belief in her own abilities has improved. We highly recommend Math4Girls! read more

I got referred to Vali through a friend whose kid is in the same school as mine. My daughter was doing OK in school but was never confident enough in math. Therefore she always thought she was "not good at it" - and I knew it didn't have to be that way. Initially she didn't even want to have a tutor. But once she met Vali and took 4 initial lessons, she loved her. I think it's very important to like tutor before you like the subject. Now she is in her math club which meets online once a week. I can say that my daughter is definitely more confident when she sees a math problem and not afraid of math any more. Vali makes the sessions fun for the girls and she has cool tricks to figure out common math problems. Even I learn from those! read more

My daughter has absolutely loved her time with her tutor from Math4Girls. Seriously, she has completely changed her outlook on math. She now says it is her favorite subject and thinks it is so fun and interesting. This same girl, just one year ago, said she was the worst at math and that it was hard and confusing. This was the best decision I ever made for my daughter. Thank you to Math4Girls for your expertise and talented tutors!! read more

Our 4th grade daughter needed extra help in math and was starting to dread it. After she came home from her first tutoring session with Vali, she was almost vibrating with enthusiasm - she said, "I would see Vali every day if I could!" Vali's manner in working with our daughter and with us is so warm and approachable. We appreciated that she spoke with our daughter's teachers to ensure she was aligned to their methods, and she communicates well with us about logistics and about each session. In addition to patiently helping our daughter understand the concepts and make real progress, Vali has helped keep her attitude positive; I've found my daughter doing Vali's worksheets on her own time without prompting. She has never once resisted or complained about going to tutoring. As we now approach the end of the school year, I asked my daughter where she thought she improved the most, and she said math. When I asked her why she improved, she said, "Because of Vali!" read more

11 year old--- "Sashi is an amazing teacher . As an 11 year old girl in a pandemic, it has been helpful for me to learn on my own and focus on different things than what my class is working on. I can work on things ahead of my class but right for me, or I could do it the other way around. The way she explains things is very helpful. She allows me to explain my thinking then we go through it together, something that is very helpful to my learning style. Overall this is an amazing class and I am so grateful I found it!" Mom--- "My daughter looks forward to meeting with Sashi on Zoom every week. We have known Vali for several years as my now 16 year old daughter went to Math4Girls groups during elementary school. As soon as my younger daughter reached the grade level to be eligible for math group, I signed her up. Vali and her team transitioned very smoothly to remote math groups during the shutdown. My daughter loved the groups so much that she asked for extra math practice 1:1 with a tutor--because it was fun! She's been working with Sashi for several months and she is feeling confident and happy with math. It is clear that Sashi listens to my daughter and that she really enjoys this work. She sends me detailed reports of each lesson including screenshots, lesson re-caps and observations on how my daughter is feeling and learning. I will definitely recommend Sashi as a tutor. She is an observant, enthusiastic and talented teacher. If there were even more stars on Yelp, I'd give her the maximum!" read more

We absolutely love Vali and are so grateful we found her! My daughter started Math4Girls thinking she 'can't do math'. After working with Vali she is now enjoying math and choosing to work on math problems at home in her spare time! What a complete turn around! My daughter has always found math to be a challenge and has been falling behind in class. After seeing Vali for the past 3-4 months her confidence with numbers has increased greatly and she now feels like she can keep up with Math in school. Her teachers have noticed a substantial improvement in her math skills so we are all happy! Vali is a very friendly, motivated and encouraging teacher and she really knows how to engage with her students. My daughter looks forward to her sessions with her every week! She communicates extremely well with teachers and parents so we all know how she is progressing and what she is working on from week to week. She is prompt in returning emails and is always happy to answer questions and concerns. Thank you Vali, you do an amazing job, we are so happy to have found you! read more

We feel so lucky to have found Vali! And now Tia and Sashi, too! Our oldest daughter started with her in 4th grade when her teacher noticed she had stopped raising her hand in class, and we had started fighting over homework at home. She (and we) were miserable. Fast forward 3 years and now math is one of her favorite subjects, she is excelling in class and, most importantly, she is confident! We owe it all to Vali. She is so kind and caring, a complete math whiz and a wonderful teacher. Our daughter now works with Tia, who is also amazing. She loves her weekly sessions, even over Zoom. Tia provides a fantastic summary to her school teacher as well as to us about what they covered that session. Homework is done, confidence is high, it's a win-win! And now our younger daughter is working with Sashi after her teacher mentioned (a few months ago) that she could use more work outside of school. She is so sweet and keeps our 3rd grader engaged (over Zoom no less!) and we're already getting feedback from her school teachers that her confidence is soaring! Sashi, too, provides excellent weekly write-ups after their sessions. Vali, Tia and Sashi are all so fantastic and have really helped our girls (and our family) immensely. We are so very grateful. read more

Mathematics hasn't always been offered to students in a gender-neutral way. Unfortunately, many girls have been taught that math isn't for them, something better "left to the boys." Vali Govier - and her Math4Girls associates - are on a mission to change that! Our own daughter rowed the gender-river upstream, earned an undergrad degree with a double major in mathematics and computer science from a top university, and is now working as a software engineer for a FAANG company, so I know firsthand how important it is for girls and young women not to limit themselves because of others' unfortunate prejudices. Learning math can be challenging for anyone. But that doesn't mean it can't be fun! Your daughter CAN do this. With the right relationship with the right teacher, she'll be able to find her footing in the realm of mathematics and make the very most of her potential. Math4Girls is the place to find that special mentor. I've known Vali, as a valued colleague, for years. Nowhere will you find a more dedicated, enthusiastic, competent, compassionate teacher and business woman. Vali, and the teachers in her charge, have brought success and smiles to an uncountable number of girls fortunate enough to have come under their wings. Math no longer needs to be a mystery. Search no further. Math4Girls is the place you've been looking for. read more

Our family has worked with Vali since 2017. She's professional, communicative and warm. Thanks to her, at an early age, my children learned to have fun with math. They have gone on to demonstrate confidence and enjoyment of the subject. My oldest child works with Tia for her accelerated junior high math classes. Tia's support and encouragement have made a noticeable difference in her study- and problem-solving skills, grades and attitude about math. We love working with both Vali and Tia and highly recommend them. read more

My daughter has been seeing Vali at math 4 girls for a couple of years, she has gone from resistant to math to actually enjoying math. She works on basic concepts and works with the curriculum of the school - asking to see the assigned work so she can make sure the tutoring is tracking with what they are learning and how it is being taught. She is also easy to work with regarding scheduling. I cannot recommend her enough. read more

Our daughter has this to say about Vali: "I've always dreaded math and have never felt comfortable with the subject. However, working with Vali was an amazing experience for me, as I was able to really go over concepts that I was struggling with in the past. Vali made sure that I understood everything and taught me much more in the few weeks I was with her than my math teacher this school year. Furthermore, Vali teaches with a smile on her face and a loving attitude. If you need help learning anything math-related, I would definitely recommend heading to Vali." read more

My 10 year old daughter, Mia, has been seeing Vali for math tutoring since fall of 2016 when it was brought up in her teacher conference that she could use help in math and especially to improve her math confidence. We feel very lucky to have found Vali and be working with her. She is exactly the right person to work with Mia. She is kind and encouraging and has developed a desire in Mia to want to learn math. Mia looks forward to going to tutoring every week and is even inspired to do tutoring work at home. Her 4th grade teacher has also mentioned the improvement she has seen in Mia's math skills. Vali is also very professional and reliable. She is prompt in returning emails and phone calls and always happy to discuss any concerns. She also communicates with my daughter's teacher every week so that both are aware of what Mia is doing. Honestly we adore Vali. I'm not sure what her secret is with teaching kids but she has a special way that helps my daughter feels confident and want to keep learning. I can't think of anything better in a tutor. read more

Vali is fantastic. Our daughter, who has mild dyslexia and dyscalculia, has worked with Vali for about a year now with homework support and math foundational review. Vali is incredibly patient and positive. She has many resources at her fingertips that she uses to help my daughter review, and solidify math facts. She is also very adept with all of the "new" ways in which math is taught these days, and helps our daughter, and us, to grasp new methods and find methods that work best for our daughter. My favorite thing that she says to my daughter: "We always do the challenge problem." She dispels the notion that "challenge" problems are only for those kids who are "good at math", and then she deftly guides my daughter through the problem. I also really appreciate that at the end of each session, she reviews with me what they covered, what was challenging, what is improving and what to practice. Lastly, through the shelter-in-place Vali very quickly and seamlessly moved to online remote learning. We were so grateful for her continued support! read more

What are you waiting for? If you have a child who would benefit from a math whiz teacher extraordinaire, need an awesome math coach who reviews with you the progress after each lesson, is exceedingly friendly and kind to your child and encourages her way better than any parent could do themselves, is flexible when you have to reschedule because your daughter absolutely won't miss the mid-weeklies dance parties, hurry up and get on Vali's schedule, because you can be sure it will fill up! read more

We love Math4Girls. Vali is professional, personable, and accommodating. We've been very happy with the level of service and the quality of tutoring provided. Ella Fenstermaker was my daughter's 7th grade math tutor, and we feel very grateful that we found her. She has a way of being able to explain difficult math concepts in terms that a 12-year old can understand. Ella has done wonders for my daughter's math confidence and we look forward to working with Ella in the coming school year. We highly recommend Math4Girls and Ella to interested parents. read more

Our 5th grade daughter has been working one-on-one with Math4Girls tutor, Tia, once a week since the start of the school year and has been learning so much. Tia supports what my daughter learns via distance learning and also supplements with additional math, preparing her for what's to come in middle school. They review concepts not being taught in her SFUSD classroom that my daughter is ready for and I couldn't be happier. My daughter looks forward to her time with Tia and we're already signed up for some more one-on-one for the rest of the school year. We plan to continue over the summer as well, as Tia is very flexible and we want our daughter to not experience any summer set-backs. At the end of each session, Tia sends us a thorough recap about what they worked on and how it went. We appreciate the prompt communication and our daughter's continued enthusiasm to do math. Highly recommend Tia and Vali at Math4Girls! read more

All of the prior reviews sum up Math4Girls and Vali: a fun, challenging math curriculum and a wonderful teacher and person who has a gift for boosting kids' curiosity and confidence. My daughter literally whooped a Yeahhh! and started dancing when I mentioned that her Math4Girls club would be starting again in January. In case you missed it: Fist pumping and dancing. For a math club. That's the real review right there. read more

My 10 year old daughter has always loved math. She frequently asks to play math games at home, she does well academically, & she identifies as a young mathematician. Math4Girls has been a happy experience for her--the group of students is small (there are frequently high school teaching assistants at the sessions, too, providing lots of mentorship for the girls); the activities are creative, fun, & playful; & Vali is so warm & kind. As a fourth grader in private school, my daughter was happy to be exposed to kids of different educational backgrounds & academic experiences. She has looked forward to each of the 8 sessions. And after each afterschool session, she has excitedly recounted the lessons learned at the dinner table. She is already eager for the next session to begin. Vali is very open & accessible in answering my questions about her teaching philosophy & materials covered. It's been a very positive experience & a great extension from my daughter's school classroom experience. read more

In person Math tutoring in San Francisco is expensive. For parents in SF who are on a limited budget, I would advise them check out on-line tutoring. read more

Tia is AMAZING! Both my kids truly enjoy working with her and have learned so much. At first my daughters test scores were not average, but now, they are way above average. Tia makes learning fun by playing games which keeps their attention constantly focused. I would recommend Tia to any one looking for a good, solid, fun tutor. Thank you read more

My daughter started Math4Girls feeling like she wasn't smart in math. In one year she's now a top student in math. She has an understanding and confidence with math that she learned with the work she did with Vali. Vali is smart, kind, and supportive. My younger daughter is now starting math club and is on the same track. Math is fun, and especially with the help of Vali. read more

Our daughter has been attending Math4Girls for the past three years and she loves it. We've observed great improvement in her math ability and her confidence. Jane (age 11) says: "Miss Vali really helped me with work that I was doing in my math classes at school and helped me understand lots of different math concepts. I would definitely recommend math club, even if you already think you're really good at math!" Thank you, Vali!! read more

Vali has been tutoring my daughter for some time now. I am extremely happy with the progress they are making together. But what is much more important - my daughter is always looking forward her next lesson, and deeply enjoys doing math. Having the love for math be taught at young age is a precious gift. This turns the attitude of the child towards the subject from "something I have to suffer through" to "something I love doing". This is invaluable. read more

My daughter has been going to math4girls for a few years now. She started with "I am not good at math" to "I think I could be a math teacher" and we only have Vali and her mathclub to thank for this! Her thoughtful, measured approach to understanding math concepts is exactly what my daughter needed. We are super grateful to have found this club and I look forward to sending my younger one here as well. I especially like that there are older girls in the club and that gives my daughter an aspirational goal too. read more

Vali has helped so many girls sent her way. I am forever grateful for the inspiration she provides these young girls who learn not only that they can solve math problems, earn high grades in elementary and middle school math courses, and enter HS prepared for the most rigorous college-prep math courses -- these girls all learn that NO problem of any kind is too tough for them to face. Thank you, Vali, for teaching JOY in learning and resilience in life. And thank you for helping at least this one parent (and fellow teacher who knows how rare your talents are) to find even more joys in teaching and learning and to learn a couple new math tricks himself! read more

My family is grateful that Vali made our daughter feel much more comfortable about math. Vali has a straightforward approach that is down-to-earth, sincere, and treats her students with dignity and respect. Outside of the tutoring sessions, she is also great with follow-up questions as she closes the loop with school math teachers and counselors via email. Our daughter's anxiety regarding math has now diminished and she has gained the tools to address the subject on her own. We've had a number of tutors in the past but none has matched Vali's good-humor and general charisma. Thank you Vali helping our daughter get her confidence! read more

We just completed our first session with Vali and loved it! Our 9-year old daughter does just fine in school math, but we wanted to expose her to different concepts and different ways to think about common math. Vali made herself available for all our questions and we felt like she really paid attention and got to know our daughter. Our daughter became even more confident and enjoys math even more than before. We will definitely be returning and consider ourselves lucky to have found Vali. In our daughter's words..."Vali is very encouraging, helpful and nice. She improved my math skills by 30%." :-) read more

My daughter has attended Math4Girls groups for about two years, and we could not be happier. We weren't looking for tutoring, though Vali provides that too. What I wanted was a boost in my daughter's confidence in her math skills and a weekly glimpse into how fun math can be. On both counts we are totally satisfied. The girls work in small groups and go in-depth in various problems, which does wonders for a person's confidence and critical thinking abilities. Vali is upbeat and nurturing, and that encourages my daughter to think that even if she doesn't get an answer right away she has still made progress and shouldn't give up. The girls also have a lot of fun. Vali usually incorporates games like Mastermind at the end of a session, or she has the kids work on a brain teaser kind of problem that my daughter then delights in stumping the family with over dinner. Finally, Vali sends a weekly summary of what was covered in the session, which allows me to know what's going on even on those days when my girl is less than talkative. read more

We feel so fortunate to have discovered Vali and her math club for girls. She is warm, engaging and as passionate about empowering and inspiring girls as she is about teaching math in fun, innovative ways. Both our daughters - one of whom is math-reluctant - have truly enjoyed and benefited from their time with Vali, and we recommend Math 4 Girls without reservation. read more

Vali is brilliant. She is a joy to work with. She helped reshape my daughter's negative view of math. This helped build my daughter's confidence and become more eager in her efforts. read more

Vali is amazing! She has helped our daughter truly *love* math. Vali has a wonderful approach of supporting the kids with their school goals and also extra enrichment, and she communicates well with teachers and parents. She knows so many approaches it is remarkable. I have recommended Vali to two friends whose daughters are having a very positive experience and totally love going to math as well. Thank you Vali! read more

Vali has been fantastic in teaching my daughter math and in changing her attitude towards math. She now loves math and cannot wait to see Vali weekly and do her homework. From a kid who felt math was not for her, we have had a huge turnaround and increased confidence. I would highly recommend Math4Girls . read more

My daughter attended the Math4Girls math club from 4th-6th grade. From Day 1, my daughter loved going to class. Vali created a friendly and fun environment to play math games and puzzles. My daughter attended the class with a friend, on the way home they would talk to each other about how much they liked the math club and couldn't wait until the next class. My daughter always liked math, but now she has learned to see it in a different way....She now loves Math! Thanks Vali! read more

Vali is a fantastic teacher and mentor of math. The girls leave their weekly sessions cheerful and chattering about what they learned and the fun they had. They actually look forward to going. Vali uses many tools to motivate the girls, it's such a great program. Can't wait for the fall session! read more

Fast forward two years... with Vali's gentle encouragement, my daughter (an 8th grader now) has been a Math Club helper for the past two sessions. I hear and see the confidence she has gained from this experience as she describes how fun the kids are to work with, or how she'd help a student with a math problem and seeing her face light up with understanding. Vali is a firm believer in "to teach is to learn twice." As usual, thank you Vali, for helping our girls solve challenging problems with great patience and your wonderful sense of humor, for sharing your keen insights, and for being a strong, positive presence in my daughter's life. read more