Hi guys!
My name is Vanessa, and my dreams include marrying Keanu Reeves and basically being the next Lady Gaga, but for math education. My vibe is Alexis from Schitt’s Creek meets Mindy Kaling (hello, coolest woman in STEM on TV – The Mindy Project is THE BEST!), and I hate writing longform essays (and if you have the same attention span as me, you hate reading them!) so I’m going to structure this as a Q & A!
How did I end up in STEM? Long story short, when I was in Grade 11, I failed math (twice!). I wanted to marry Keanu Reeves and become a rockstar and I was told that I was not a “math person.” After having an AMAZING math teacher in Grade 12 who told me there was NO SUCH THING AS A MATH PERSON, I scored 99% in math and realized I was capable of so much more than I ever thought possible!
I ended up going to the University of Guelph and getting a commerce degree in Marketing Management. I then got a Graphic Design Diploma from Humber college. I thought I wanted to be in advertising…but my life took a bit of a turn! I ended up working a bunch of marketing jobs but I hated the office vibe. So then I went to teacher’s college and decided to try teaching math, because ever since scoring that 99% in Grade 12 math, I had been tutoring on the side and I LOVED IT! During Teacher’s College, I taught in a legit Grade 10 math class for a bit and sort of hated it because I am SO bad at yelling at people…and I kind of feel like you need to yell when you’re in charge of a classroom full of teenagers. I decided to do my own thing and tutor for a bit until I figured out my next move. Oh, and I also went to India for 6 months! When I got back, I had SO many students who wanted me to tutor them that I ended up starting my own tutoring company, called The Math Guru. And the rest is herstory!
Caption: This is my Grade 12 yearbook photo OMG!
Caption: This was my high school math teacher who changed my life. LOVE YOU EWA!
But wait, tell me about Paris Hilton: Glad you asked! In between teaching and starting The Math Guru, I actually went to The University of British Columbia to do a Masters degree in Math Education AND Women’s Studies. Why? Because I was noticing this weird pattern where the super smart girls that I was tutoring kept telling me they felt BAD AT MATH. And I was like HUH?! So I spent two years researching and writing my thesis called Imagining a World Where Paris Hilton Loves Math. It’s all about how the media makes it IMPOSSIBLE for girls to feel any sense of identity while ALSO showing a love for math. And I brought all of that research back into The Math Guru, because I decided that I wanted to play a huge role in changing math culture, especially for young women!
So what is The Math Guru? The Math Guru is a really dope boutique tutoring studio in Toronto, with a goal of breaking all of the BS stereotypes about math and science that prevent cool people from entering the field! I get to combine all of the stuff I learned while pursuing that commerce degree (hi, running a whole business!), with my design skills (I make all our logos and branded stuff), WITH my teaching skills. It ALL came together!
Caption: Me chilling at The Math Guru. Wouldn't you want to learn math here?!
When I started The Math Guru ten years ago, it was just me tutoring one on one in my one bedroom apartment! Now I have over 40 tutors from all different walks of life working for me! Our tutors are athletes, musicians, actors, engineers, scientists, students, and generally cool people who show their students that you don’t need to look or act a certain way to also be good at math or science!
What else do you do? So in my quest to totally lift women up through changing the way they see themselves as capable of math (and ANYthing else in the world, I started a podcast called Math Therapy in which I talk to adults about their math trauma, and help guide them into believing that they are possible of ANYTHING – INCLUDING MATH! I’m also working on a self-help book, have published a kid’s math book called Math Hacks, was a contestant on Canada’s Smartest Person, and am in a band called Goodnight, Sunrise!
A band?! YES! I told you guys that I’ve always wanted to be a rockstar right (and by Rockstar I mean: Britney Spears)?! Well, despite a lack of musical training, I decided that I was going to make it happen no matter what, so I started my band: Goodnight, Sunrise. And seriously guys – it was all because of my grade 12 math teacher who showed me that I could do math. Like, I figured, if I could do math – I could do ANYTHING – even become a legit rockstar! Well, after my band’s first show ever, some sketchy guy came up to me and told me that I was the worst singer he had EVER MET. Seven years later, my band opened for Bon Friggin JOVI at The Air Canada Centre! Starting a band is literally one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life and I feel like Brit Brit every damn day!
Caption: My band on the SCOTIABANK ARENA STAGE OPENING FOR BON JOVI!
I surprise people when I tell them…"I'm a math teacher"...followed by "...and I'm in a band." (Or vice versa) It's so crazy to think that we've confined ourselves to living in these binaries dictated by popular culture and weird random societal standards that simply go unchallenged! Why is it strange for someone to like rocking out AND math? It shouldn't be. But we're all so entrenched in media-reinforced stereotypes that it's hard for us to imagine identities that aren't reflected in pop culture. Remember, there was a time (not so long ago...!) that if ANY woman claimed to enjoy math, people were straight up shocked. In fact, the head of the math department at the high school where I had my first teaching job ever greeted me with "what's a pretty girl like you doing being a math teacher?" And that WASN'T that long ago!
Caption: Playing a festival with my band,Goodnight, Sunrise! Remember when live shows used to be a thing?
My best advice from a mentor was…When it seems like disaster is striking - it usually means that positive change is on the horizon. Destruction paves the way for rebuilding, and rebuilding is the stuff of clarity and new beginnings.
I would tell my 20-year old self...to stop worrying what other people think. It is literally the biggest waste of time and the truth is, anyone who’s judging you is only doing it because they feel insecure AF. If they didn’t, they would be turning the mirror inward – trust me!
The future excites me because…You truly NEVER know what might happen next! How exciting is that?!
My next step is…Your guess is as good as mine!
Guys, I totally made up this Q & A so it’s very possible that I didn’t answer the actual Qs that YOU have! Ask me anything, can’t wait to hear what’s on your mind!
Let’s be friends!