Taking new students
Maths gets fun the moment you see how it fits together.
For forty years I taught maths to upper secondary classes. Since I retired I have carried on at a smaller scale: sometimes at my home in Destelbergen, but usually at the student's. That way I can give exactly the explanation that suits that one student best.
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40+
years teaching upper secondary maths
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UGent
degree in mathematics
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vzw
Ziek zijn & School, former chair
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1-to-1
tutoring, usually at the student's home around Ghent
About me
Forty years in the classroom, still curious.
I studied mathematics at Ghent University and then spent forty years in front of upper secondary classes. Alongside my teaching I always tutored: my own pupils, friends' children, anyone who had lost the thread.
For years I also worked with children with long-term illness through Ziek zijn & School vzw, and chaired it for a while. Teaching maths to a child who has been out of class for weeks takes patience and tailoring. That patience comes with me to every session.
A student saying “oh, is that all it is” — that is what I do it for.
Approach
Not memorised tricks, but understanding why it works.
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First find where it breaks
Half an hour going through your last test together tells me more than a long lecture. The problem is often two chapters earlier.
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Build from what already works
I start from something you do master and work forward from there, so your confidence stays intact.
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Let them do the maths
Watching you work through an exercise gives away more than a wrong answer on paper. You do the thinking; I nudge where it goes off.
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How often the lessons are
One lesson a week is usually enough, and in between you practise on your own. More often if you need it. And some get by on just a few lessons spread over a whole school year.
Who for
All of secondary school, and first-year university too.
- Years 1–2 secondary
- Years 3–4 secondary
- Years 5–6 general
- Years 5–6 technical/vocational
- University preparation
- First-year undergraduates
- Adults & resits
- Students with long-term illness
Sudokus
To stay sharp, I design my own sudokus.
I wrote a generator that builds sudokus by rules I made up myself — not just the familiar nine by nine grid, but larger ones up to sixteen by sixteen, and smaller ones down to four by four.
I designed twenty variants with extra conditions on top of the usual rules: diagonals that must hold too, blocks that interlock like curls, grids where every symbol has to fit a horizontal and a vertical rectangle at once, and grids with letters or with the signs + × 0 = instead of digits. Whether those are still sudokus, I leave to you.
Practical
Frequently asked questions
Where do the lessons take place?
Usually at the student's home, around Ghent. Sometimes at my home in Destelbergen, at the table in the living room. Online is possible by arrangement, during illness for instance.
How often do we meet?
Usually one lesson a week; in between you practise on your own. More often if you need it. And some get by on just a few lessons spread over a whole school year.
Which material do you cover?
All of secondary school, from the first year to the last, plus first-year analysis, algebra and statistics. I spent forty years teaching the final two years, so I know every pitfall there — but it is in the early years that you can still repair what becomes a problem later.
What if my child is ill long term?
I have years of experience with that, through Ziek zijn & School vzw. Shorter sessions, an adapted pace, and contact with the school where it helps.
How do I arrange a session?
Give me a call or fill in the form below. I call back and we talk it through calmly.
Contact
A quick call or a short message.
Tell me briefly who the student is, which year, and where it goes wrong. I call back to agree on when and how often.
- Address
Thanks for your message.
I will be in touch as soon as I can.