Mathematics
An understanding and outgoing math teacher, Kelly holds an AA and an AS from Tarrant County College and a BS in mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington. Kelly started teaching through the UTeach program in 2017, initially student-teaching elementary and middle school grades before transitioning to high school levels. Since 2020, she has worked as a high school math teacher and tutored math and test prep in learning centers.
“I first fell in love with math in high school because I had an amazing teacher,” Kelly recalls. “I later rediscovered my love for math in college thanks to a very passionate professor, which made me decide to become a math teacher. Math is its own language and I love to be able to help translate and decipher it to students.” Throughout her career, Kelly has taught SAT/ACT prep, geometry, algebraic reasoning, algebra 2, pre-calculus, and more. While she has primarily tutored high schoolers, she’s also worked with elementary and middle school students.
When asked about her teaching style, Kelly says, “I believe in the Socratic method and I also believe in breaking down each problem into the simplest possible steps.” Kelly loves to use colors to coordinate the points she wants to make to her students. “Color coordinating emphasizes visual learning and helps students retain information better than the usual black and white approach.” Kelly is also excellent at developing analogies that assist students in better understanding new concepts. “I strive for my students to reach that aha moment no matter how long it takes,” Kelly says.
In high school, Kelly was in the band and played the flute. In college, she participated in Parents Helping Parents and Phi Theta Kappa. While pursuing her associate’s degree, Kelly was in the Cornerstone Honors Program and received honors on her AA. She loves to read, write, spend time with her family outside in nature, and watch movies. “I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two beautiful daughters,” Kelly shares.