Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Rhodes.
Katie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started working as a math instructor in November 2012, right out of high school. I was looking for a part-time job to get me through my first semester of college, and possibly beyond. I was told that I did not make the best first impression, because my Mom was the one who told me about it and brought me in that first day. Apparently, I did not look too excited. I was the second hire for the Mathnasium of Tyler that was going to have its grand opening the following month.
Once I started working with the kids, I fell in love with being able to teach and invest in these kids that I see about two to three times a week for years sometimes. I ended up working two to three part-time jobs, finishing up full-time school at the University of Texas at Tyler. I was finishing up a Bachelor’s of Science in Social Sciences with a minor in Entrepreneurship. My heart has always been for business and people, especially kids. The Tyler location’s owner, Frank, ended up being like a second Dad and an incredible mentor. He would always talk about the in’s and out’s of owning, maintaining, and growing the business. I loved seeing it firsthand and learned so much. As I was nearing graduating from UT Tyler, Frank was excited to see an opening come available at another center he had purchased a couple of years earlier. He had been joking for a few years now at coming up with a position to keep me in the family, and it seems like he was true to his word. It took some convincing, as my heart for the next couple of years was to go and do international missionary work. After a degree of overthinking and deliberation, I realized that as a manager of a Mathnasium I would have the honor of working with and serving so many different families. So, I took over the Center Director position at the Mathnasium of Southlake in January of 2018 at the age of 24, after graduating from UT Tyler. I have loved getting to serve the families, and make such a difference in these kid’s lives. My relationship with the kids is my most cherished, as my heart is that they would feel safe enough to not only learn, struggle, and grow, but share about their hard days, good days, silly stories, tough stories, and absolutely ridiculous jokes.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been so many open doors and blessings that have allowed me to get to this position, especially right out of graduating and at such a young age. The biggest obstacle was paying for college. I did not qualify for any huge scholarships, even though I graduated high school with above a 4.0 GPA, and eventually college with a 4.0 GPA. I had to work a combination of odd jobs, alongside my part-time job as a Mathnasium instructor. I worked catering, babysitting, organizing medical paperwork, house sitting, painting jobs, and the like, all the while maintaining 12-16 hours each semester. The biggest blessing is that I did not have to pull out a loan, and I am debt-free. I say blessings and open doors, but they came from hard work, diligence, and a loving community behind me.
The next challenge was within the whole transition from East Texas to North Texas, college student to manager, and living at home to living with a roommate. I have had some anxiety-filled days of really not knowing if I had what it took, but getting comfortable in being uncomfortable as I learn and grow has made all the difference. The constant for me was the kids. I have loved getting to know this new batch of students and their families, and they have turned any bad day into something brighter and more purposeful.
Please tell us about Mathnasium of Southlake – what should we know?
Mathnasium is an all math learning center that focuses on providing a customized approach and teaching method that makes math make sense. We work with Pre-K to College students and can help kids that are behind catch up and challenge those that are ahead. We specialize in filling in the gaps for any student that is behind while supporting what they are doing in class. As we work at their pace, we can spend the appropriate amount of time that each student needs on each topic for full understanding. We can set goals and help you reach them. We use a unique combination of mental, verbal, visual, tactile, and written techniques in our education strategy. Mathnasium’s proprietary curriculum focuses on helping kids build their number sense so they truly understand math. More than 40 years after Larry first developed the Mathnasium Method,™ centers are providing children all over the world increased confidence, critical thinking skills, and mathematical ability to last a lifetime.
We are known for the big smiles that most of our kids come in and leave with. As soon as you walk into our center, you can see and feel happy and good energy from the kids and instructors. Whether it’s homework or test prep, we aim to be your all-inclusive math help. I have worked with adults preparing for the GED, Pre-K students learning their shapes, to an 8th grader who finished Calculus.
My heart as the manager is to create a fun, safe, and kind atmosphere that encourages asking questions, learning how to struggle and conquer a problem, and to build the kid’s confidence. I have loved getting to see the drastic change of the kid that came in defeated, hating math, and starting to internalize that they are “stupid’, “I can’t do it”, and “it’s too hard.” I have seen that kids build their confidence in victory at a time, supported by our instructors, parents, and teachers all working together to see to their success and eventually love of math. That is why I love what we do, and why I choose to love and serve these families as best I can.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The biggest qualities that have benefited me as an instructor and the Center Director are patience and compassion. We are daily working with students that are struggling, and having to do something that is very unnatural for them. As an instructor, we have to encourage the kids when they hit a wall, when they have mentally given up, and when they have really lost all motivation and focus. Kids come in with bad days. Kids come across topics like long division, multiplying decimals, and all sorts that takes time for some to fully understand. Each child needs something different and our job is to patiently walk them through each topic until they understand. If one way of explaining does not work, we can try multiple different approaches.
My biggest encouragement and key to success when working with people is to listen. Kids need to be listened to and supported. As the Center Director, my job is to listen to the parents, identify what they need, and work to solve that problem. I could explain my job as a sales position, but I don’t. I am a problem solver and a communicator that listens with patience and compassion.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1251 East Southlake Blvd Suite 305
Southlake, TX 76092 - Website: https://www.mathnasium.com/southlake
- Phone: 817-421-1900
- Email: southlake@mathnasium.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathnasiumofsouthlake/
Image Credit:
Grace Moreno
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