An arithmetician once tried
To multiply, add, and divide
Sets of numbers he’d found
To describe objects round
But the effort just left him pi-eyed.
— Basingstoke [Used with permission ~ Visit The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form]
School classrooms can be exceedingly difficult places in which to learn mathematics well.
Teachers vary in passion and ability (as is natural); class behaviour and attitudes (and bullying) can alter the learning environment radically; learning in a large group at the same speed and with little opportunity to receive one-on-one help leads to boredom or frustration for many/most students; textbooks vary in quality and frequently lack stimulating material (because publishers restrict the size of the books); and sometimes students are negatively influenced by parents and peers who share their own bad experiences or attitudes.
Home educators, too, often feel that they lack sufficient understanding to teach their children mathematics … and the resources that they have access to can sometimes be bland, unstimulating, and even poorly explained or constructed.
My wife and I home educated our daughter and I have taught and tutored mathematics for many years. I am aware of the difficulties listed above and have often been asked by students and parents to create a website to share my understanding and resources with others. Crystal Clear Mathematics is the result.
Because this medium is not interactive (in the sense of allowing immediate interaction between you and me) I cannot provide the quality of tutition that I would like to offer you … but I hope you find the videos and the supporting files to be useful none-the-less.
This website and its associated FaceBook page and YouTube channel were all launched on Tuesday 20 November 2012.
From the beginning of my schooling I had struggled with Mathematics. Highly discouraged by my results, I grew to eventually hate Maths and lost all motivation to improve. Then part way through year seven my parents decided to send me to Crystal Clear Mathematics. Graeme was able to quickly identify areas I needed to improve and explain Maths in a way that finally made sense to me. I was able to understand Maths. This in turn then affected my confidence in my own ability.
Since working with Graeme I have gone from failing to significantly improved results. I now get As & Bs both in examinations and for assignment tasks. Graeme is patient, kind and his tutoring is individualised. He was so helpful and I am grateful for his help.
Tessa M (student, 2014-2017)
