Melanie Smith

Melanie teaches middle and upper school mathematics at Friends Seminary. She joined Friends after a decade of teaching in and chairing a high school math program in the NYC public schools, as well as serving as a STEM instructional coach and advising the College Board on bias as an SAT Math item writing consultant. As a tutor, Melanie has worked with students from ages 10 to 60 providing both enrichment and academic support. Melanie holds a B.S. in applied mathematics from Columbia University and an M.A. in mathematics education from Teachers College.

Melanie is passionate about making education accessible and engaging for all learners. As a tutor, she is especially interested in helping students who struggle in mathematics improve their performance.

Leveraging her extensive experience as a classroom teacher, Melanie uses questioning strategies and original materials to help students move from the ability to recall facts to the ability to create conclusions. As a firm believer in emotional components to learning, she works with students to increase their resilience in the face of setbacks and gain confidence in their ability to grow as students.An avid traveler and food lover, Melanie has eaten her way through every continent with the exception of Antarctica. She has been known to arrive to her sessions via Citibike with mason jars full of green smoothies (brain food!) to share with her students.