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: at my kitchen table in Destelbergen, one student across from me, explaining until it clicks.
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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 at my home or at yours in the Ghent area
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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The student's pace
Weekly during a busy term, now and then before an exam. We agree together on what fits.
Who for
From year four of secondary to first-year university.
- 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. Eighteen of them are ready to play, from a four-square grid using the signs +, X, 0 and = to one of sixteen by sixteen.
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?
At my home in Destelbergen, at the kitchen table. If you live in the Ghent area, I come to you as well. Online is possible by arrangement, during illness for instance.
How often do we meet?
It depends on the student. Sometimes weekly for a whole year, sometimes a few times before an exam.
Which material do you cover?
Everything from years 3 to 6 of secondary, plus first-year analysis, algebra and statistics.
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.