About Us
Hi, I'm Shera.
I've been teaching math for over 20 years, and somewhere along the way, my students started noticing I say one word constantly: perf. It's short for "perfect," but really, it's shorthand for what I want every student to feel by the time we're done working together: confident, capable, and knowledgeable.
Why I Do This
Math anxiety is real, and it's rarely about math ability. Most of the students I work with are smart, capable kids who've just had one too many moments of feeling behind, confused, or embarrassed to ask a question. My job isn't just to teach formulas, it's to rebuild the relationship between a student and math itself, one that's often been damaged long before they ever sit down with me.
My Background
I hold a degree in Applied Mathematics from Loyola Marymount University and have spent over 20 years working with students on everything from foundational algebra to AP Calculus, ISEE, SAT and ACT prep. Alongside math, I also tutor general and honors chemistry and science, subjects that lean on many of the same skills: careful reasoning, precise vocabulary, and comfort translating between words, numbers, and formulas. I've worked with students at top LA schools, including Marlborough, Harvard Westlake, Brentwood School, and Loyola High School, supporting everything from students catching up on material to students chasing an A in an honors or AP class.
How I Teach: The PERF Method
Every session follows the same core approach:
Point out the win. When a student hits that click moment, the second a hard problem finally makes sense, I stop and name it.
Explain what's unclear. When something isn't landing, we narrow in on exactly where the gap is.
Reteach with clarity. Once we know the gap, I reteach it in whatever way actually makes sense for that student, not just the same explanation, louder.
Fluency. Long-term, we build fluency in math itself, and in what I call Math Grammar, understanding how and why math is written the way it is, so students are translating and reasoning, not memorizing steps.
When a student is stuck and starting to spiral, I like to remind them: math has clicked for them before, even when it felt hard at first, and it'll click again today, just with some practice and clarification.
What This Looks Like for Your Student
Whether your student needs reteaching of material that didn't stick the first time, or support pushing for an A in an AP class, we start in the same place: understanding where they actually are, not where a syllabus assumes they should be.
As Perf Math has grown, I've personally trained a small number of additional tutors in the PERF method, so your student gets the same approach and philosophy, even in sessions I'm not personally leading.