As a boy growing up in India, Rayan Chepuri was challenged by his parents to do math. To get better he subscribed to math magazines and studied hard, eventually competing in a math olympiad academic event.
“I was strong, but not super strong,” he said of his performance.
Chepuri said he did not win the contest, but a love of the subject took hold and went on to study it further, earning a master’s degree in computer science at Minnesota State University.
“Growing up I was very, very passionate about math,” he said, adding that he would help tutor his friends.
Now, after exploring the corporate world for 11 years, Chepuri is turning back to his passion and hoping to spread a love of mathematics to kids of all ages at the Mathnasium on East Hill, which he took over three months ago from the previous owners.
Just like a gymnasium is a place to work on physicality and practice sports, the Mathnasium is a place for kids of all ages and skill levels to practice their math with the help of knowledgeable tutors.
“You go to the gymnasium to develop your body,” Chepuri said. “You go to the Mathnasium to develop your mind.”
Chepuri said unfortunately, students do not develop a love of math, which can limit career options.
“When kids hate math, they don’t want to do engineering, they don’t want to do computer science,” he said. “That’s the unfortunate situation.”
But at Mathnasium, Chepuri said he and his tutors, mostly students at the local high schools, attempt to make math fun again through games, toys and a reward system, all of which have math-based roots.
Chepuri said his team begins with a “multi-pronged assessment” of any student that comes in, a combination of tests and conversations, to gauge where a student stands in their math skills.
“I want to know exactly where they are strong in, exactly where they are weak in,” he said.
From there, the student is matched with a tutor who helps them achieve their goals, from improving basic skills all the way up to advanced programs.
“We get a wide range of kids,” he said.
In the afternoons, students of all ages sit at one of the four U-shaped tables where a tutor provides individual attention to each of the kids.
“The kids that come here on a consistent basis, we’ve seen them grow in leaps and bounds,” said Shannon Sasek, a second-grade teacher and the center director.
Sasek oversees the education side of the business. Sasek called Mathnasium a “supplemental curriculum” and said many of the kids come in to get help with homework and that work in small groups allows them to fill in any gaps in their math education.
“The kids learn a lot,” she said. “The biggest thing I see is the confidence they gain while they’re here.”
“It helps me out a lot,” said Logan Jefferson, 13, a student at Meeker Middle School.
Jefferson said he was having trouble in math, but the one-on-one time with a tutor has helped him understand everything better.
“I had, like, a D last quarter, but now I have a B+,” he said.
To help get kids excited about math, the Mathnasium is hosting the “Math Triathlon” June 20 for students in grades three through eight, complete with cash prizes for the top three finishers at each grade level.
There are also week long summer programs designed to help avoid the “summer slide.”
“The human brain is elastic,” Chepuri said. “If you teach them more, it will stretch.”
Math Fun
The Math Triathlon is scheduled for June 20. There is no fee to enter and the first-place finisher at each grade level wins $100 with an additional $100 donated to the classroom teacher of the winning student.
Mathnasium is located at 10445 S.E. 240th Street. For more information, visit www.kentmath.com or call 253-854-MATH.
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