We’ve loved math since we were little kids, calculating unit prices in the grocery store to help our moms shop for the best deal. Now that we have our own boys, we see the same quantitative thinking in them. We’ll never forget the time our then-five-year-old son son said, “We paid $2.29 for that sandwich, right? So we only paid a dollar fourteen and a half each for lunch. What a deal!” Now that our kids are bigger, we spend time talking about budgeting their allowance, the power of compound interest in investment returns (“I could have how much by the time I retire?!”), calculating a baseball player’s wins above replacement, or figuring out the probability of an event occurring. Since before they could read, family time has often revolved around complex strategy games.
Because our boys needed an extra challenge, we’ve worked with their BVSD elementary school to put them on the right trajectory. For example, our older son is now in fifth grade. We home-schooled him for math in second grade, teaching him a combined second- and third-grade curriculum. We enjoyed the time bonding with him, while keeping him motivated and challenged. By the time he was in fourth grade, he was excited to spend the last couple months of the school year learning sixth-grade math on his own time. Now as a fifth grader, he attends a middle school for a combined 7th/8th-grade math course. Our younger son is now in second grade, taking fourth-grade math. They both participate in the school’s Math Olympiads team and chess club. They love sports too – skiing, basketball, and distance running for our older son, and baseball, basketball, soccer, and snowboarding for our younger son.
A solid understanding of math is so critical to so many aspects of life, and many of today’s professions. So as our kids get older, we got to thinking: How could we inspire other kids to love math and rise to their full potential? That’s why we created Math Ascent. Whether your child needs an extra challenge or is falling behind, we’d love to help them develop a lifelong love of math!
Brian Wahlert
When Brian was five, he was cheering for the Chicago Cubs and calculating and meticulously tracking their players’ batting averages and ERAs. In seventh grade, he won the statewide MathCounts competition and got a trip to Washington, D.C., for nationals. He eventually got a BA in computer science and mathematical economic analysis and a Master of Computer Science degree, both from Rice University. Then he spent quite a few years designing and developing software at Microsoft.
Now he volunteers at the kids’ school as the treasurer of the PTO, a chess team coach, and Math Olympiads coach. He’s led math enrichment groups in several of his kids’ classes. Nothing makes him happier than seeing puzzlement turn to understanding in a child’s eyes when they get a complex concept.
Sarah Wahlert
Sarah has also enjoyed math for as long as she can remember. In middle and high school, she competed on the math team, winning multiple conference championships. After considering a math degree at Wellesley College, she eventually decided to major in computer science for its similar analytical thinking and real-world applicability. She credits her strong math grounding for her success in the software industry at Microsoft.
Today, Sarah is an active volunteer at her kids’ school. She enjoys working with children 1-on-1 and researching projects and activities that support their learning, and she’s excited to put those skills to work to help your child excel.