Gayle Shanley
Math Tutor
“Mrs. Shanley is supportive and patient and helpful. Overall, I could not have asked for a better tutor – my math grade is now the best it has been since 7th grade, and I finally feel like I understand the material and am regaining my confidence.”
– Senior taking Calculus
TUTORING
Gayle Shanley is an experienced math tutor who tutors pre-algebra through AP Calculus. She particularly enjoys building long-term relationships with her students: she has tutored many students for two or three years. She also provides content-focused math tutoring for the SATs, ACTs, SSATs and SAT Math Subject Tests.
MATH ENRICHMENT
Gayle Shanley also teaches math enrichment to students of all ages. In settings as varied as homeschooling resource centers, charter schools, after-school enrichment programs, small private classes, workshops, and homeschool co-ops, Gayle has created her own curriculum, teaching hands-on, creative classes including Cryptography, Math as Art, The Fourth Dimension, and Fibonacci Numbers. She particularly enjoys building Platonic and Archimedean Solids, exploring and creating number systems with different bases, and playing with the Four Color Theorem, number theory, Penrose tilings, public key cryptography, and mathematical puzzles and challenges of all kinds.
"I think I will always be a better mathematician because I had you for my first math teacher.”
– Student to whom I taught Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, Cryptography, Public Key Cryptography
BIOGRAPHY
Gayle Shanley graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a BA in Mathematics and a BA in Theatre Arts. An experienced math tutor, she has been teaching and tutoring math for more than twenty years. Many of her tutoring students attend private schools such as The Hotchkiss School and Salisbury School.
After five years working as a freelance math and drama teacher, as well as math tutor, in Portland, Oregon, Gayle moved to the beautiful northwest corner of Connecticut where she currently tutors math and homeschools her own five children.
CONTACT
Gayle Shanley is available for in-person or online tutoring.
She can be reached by email at
MORE TESTIMONIALS
"We feel so fortunate to have had you in our lives for the past four years! We doubt that you appreciate fully the positive influence you've had on our son. Your ability to understand how he thinks and to share his enjoyment of numbers has played an enormously beneficial role in his journey through high school math. You truly understand how to light fires in children's minds. You are truly a beloved teacher.”
– Parents of a student to whom I taught Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, Cryptography, Public Key Cryptography
“For the past three years, Mrs. Shanley’s dedication to her students was always apparent to me because of how prepared she was for each of our meetings. If I had not had Mrs. Shanley as a tutor, I would not have been able to take on the challenge of BC Calculus my senior year.”
– Senior tutored in Algebra II, Pre Calculus, and AP Calculus
“Gayle Shanley was 100% reliable, conscientious, intelligent, talented, and trustworthy. During her long tenure at Village Home, I received only praises about Gayle’s classes, and not one complaint. Ever. Her skills are reflected in her consistently superior class evaluation scores and enthusiastic formal student feedback.
“All of those attributes are wonderful to have in an employee, but what is really outstanding about Gayle is that she is also flawless in the classroom. Gayle was one of the most popular teachers at Village Home, and for good reason. She has a wonderfully engaging way of interacting with students, and she allows her sincere enthusiasm for learning to flow from her in a way that is compelling even to the most reluctant learner. Creative presentation of material, and a willingness to meet the learner where they are, without a drop of condescension, is truly a gift, and one that Gayle embodies.
“Gayle Shanley is always prepared for class, and plans ahead so that she can differentiate instruction in a diverse student population naturally, without singling anyone out. She establishes a safe environment for learning, where students want to reach a little higher and work a little harder. Mostly, she is able to foster an enthusiasm to learn, whether she is teaching linear equations or Othello. Building rapport with students comes naturally for Gayle, which is essential for real learning to happen, regardless of the setting.
“I am confident that Gayle will be a stellar addition to any faculty as a tutor or as a classroom teacher, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her.”
– Executive Director of Village Home (homeschooling resource center in Beaverton, OR)
“Mrs. Shanley not only wants her students to succeed but works hard to make sure they understand the content by teaching it in different ways. Her constant positive attitude is contagious and inspiring to her students.”
– Junior studying SAT math