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Two Brooklyn-born sisters who competed academically as kids and decided to go into business together have spent the past five years helping students build a strong STEM identity while keeping their math anxiety at bay.
Candace Shaw, 34, founder of Why Hate Math?, earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Spelman College in Atlanta and an MBA from Georgia State University. Her for-profit company — which recently opened a nonprofit arm to help those who can’t afford to participate — serves children from K-12.
Shaw first discovered her love for mathematics around the age of 6. She said her family split their time between New York and Georgia, where she had access to a large whiteboard. She would often ask her parents and older siblings to leave complex math problems there for her so she could spend the day solving them.
Her sister, Melinda Shaw, 38, is the company’s CEO and co-owner. She earned her bachelor’s from Albany State University in Georgia in addition to a certificate in medical science. She said her sister’s advanced ability in math prompted her to dive into it further. “We always had a positive competition in our family in terms of academics,” she said.
The sisters’ parents are both registered nurses: the women credit them for their success.
“My parents instilled a love of education in us by teaching us our history and showing us the amazing things that our ancestors did,” Candace Shaw said. “It made me have pride and confidence that I was capable of being intelligent so that I could do things to change the world.”
The 74 chatted with the female entrepreneurs just in time for Women’s History Month and as their nine-member company recently opened its first brick-and-mortar tutoring center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Designed in an open-concept style, it includes a small office space and backyard for outdoor learning.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The 74: Why did you found this company? What was the need you were trying to fill?
Candace: Before 2020, I was working in the corporate world and I still had this passion for math. I was doing private tutoring — I had two clients I would work with — and their parents really loved it. It brought me joy and so in 2020, when the pandemic hit, word of mouth spread, and more parents started calling to ask me for help. I began virtual tutoring and built a website for parents to book sessions. We have a house in East New York (Brooklyn) and we opened a room on the first floor for kids to learn. They would come on Saturday mornings or afterschool for in-person sessions.
Melinda: Candace and I had talked about this for many years prior to opening. We both were STEM majors and we noticed there were a lot of different disparities in communities of learning, so many different learning gaps and limited access to certain services.
You serve kids K-12. Describe your average student.
Melinda: We serve a lot of students in the second and third grade. That’s when a lot of testing begins and homework increases. Parents are starting to see what level their child is at — and where they want them to go. At the middle school level, we serve a lot of seventh graders and in high school a lot of 10th through 12th graders. Many have college exams they are preparing for.
Do you see any difference in the types of problems students face based upon their grade? Elementary versus middle and high school-aged?
Melinda: There is disparity overall in education. Sometimes, it falls within race and sometimes it falls in income or socio-economic level. It also depends on which district you are in, the curriculum they purchased and how that is determined. Some students in the third grade don’t get homework while others are homework heavy. There are so many reasons as to why a student is more proficient than others.
How many schools do you work with and where?
Candace: We work with at least 10 schools and they are all in Brooklyn. We have some in District 19 in East New York, some in Bedford Stuyvesant — and we just opened up to some in Canarsie.
How exactly do you deliver your tutoring services?
Candace: We have a few online offerings but we prefer in-person. We started after the pandemic, and most parents would say, “I really need it in-person because my child learns better that way.”
What makes your service unique?
Candace: We have a genuine investment in these children’s education. And we approach math in a way that’s fun and not scary. We allow students to learn at their own pace and in their own learning style. We provide supplemental events and activities — a Pi day party, holiday parties, back to school events. And we do giveaways. Also, our staff is highly qualified: These are all people with math degrees, engineering degrees — or they are statisticians. Most come from Brooklyn, from the communities we serve. It’s great to see that. A lot live walking distance away.
Melinda: We also serve students who are neurodivergent, people of all learning abilities. We live here, we understand what it is people want. We also say the children are our future. If that’s the case, and we are relying on them to maintain the community, we have to pour into them. They have to be innovative, sharp and fast thinkers. We are using math to build these skills which are transferable to real life.
How do you address math anxiety, which can be even more prevalent in communities of color?
Melinda: We don’t remind the student that they have that anxiety. We reinforce what they do know, what they have done correctly. We highlight the points they are excelling at even if they are really minor. We don’t reinforce their fear or whatever is hindering their success. We focus on non-verbal cues, how they respond: Are they foot tapping? Are they having to go get snacks? We allow them to release when they need to release and then reel them back in. Over time, we can reduce that anxiety, highlight what they are greatest at and lessen that fear, which is really a lack of understanding of the subject.
Candace: We reduce embarrassment and shame. We say mistakes are OK, that mistakes are some of the best ways to learn, which makes them feel safe to fully try. We also talk to parents about things they can do at home to support their child’s learning. And we create an environment where math is fun for everyone. When we have events for families and parents are involved, we ask them math questions, and if they got it right they could spin a wheel and get a gift.
How does it feel to be a Black female entrepreneur, knowing your very existence in this space could impact the lives of the children you serve?
Candace: It feels incredible to stand beside other Black women paving the way to change and innovation. It also feels like I have to balance being a Black woman and being a leader, which can sometimes be overwhelming. But then I try to lean into self care and give myself grace. I hope this inspires the children I work with to follow their wildest dreams. I want them to know there’s a place for them in this world. You don’t have to only look up to what’s portrayed in the media as success because there’s so many different ways to be successful. You just have to find what works for you — and be the best at it.
What do you want for the children you serve?
Candace: I want these kids to excel at math, to go to class and get As on assessments, to be above grade level. I want them to be strong and confident with a solid math foundation. I want them to form a strong STEM identity, to see themselves as engineers, coders, architects, to be able to know they can excel in those fields.
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