Mathnasium offers help parents can count on.
It’s a new learning center that helps students in grades 2-12 in Henrietta, Brighton and Pittsford boost their math skills, understanding of math concepts and overall school performance. The franchise was founded in 2002 in California by Larry Martinek, an educator and teaching consultant for more than 30 years who’s written many math workbooks and helped design math-teaching programs.
“What’s great about Mathnasium is he created the entire curriculum based on his experiences as a teacher at many different schools,” said Asiya Ali, director of the new center, the first in western New York, which she owns with her husband Asif Iqbal, an information technology management consultant for HR Systems.
“My husband and I wanted to start a business for a long time,” Ali said. “I said it had to be in education. We started exploring learning centers. I really like Mathnasium. Their main goal is to make learning easier for children by helping them understand concepts, and also by making it fun.”
She said the center helps children below, at or above their grade levels. Each student is first assessed, and an individualized plan is created to address his or her needs, taking into consideration the student’s strengths and weaknesses.
“it’s a pretty sophisticated system,” Ali said, noting students usually come in for about an hour after school to work on their plans, go over basic math skills based on state standards and get help with homework.
Ali has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rutgers University and a master’s in secondary education from SUNY Brockport. She has enjoyed math since she was a child, growing up in New Jersey and the New York City area, and has a good understanding of how to help children develop a love for math. She has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and also has experience privately tutoring in math and English. Ali is also the mother of a 5-year-old boy, Mikail, and has a second child on the way.
Mathnasium’s philosophy is that children don’t hate math; they hate being confused and intimated by math. Mathnasium, a national franchise, employs diagnostics, instruction, worksheets, manipulatives and games to help children make sense of numbers. With that comprehension comes confidence and a deep understanding and lifelong love of mathematics, according to Mathnasium’s philosophy.
