Life After News
Former KXLY (Spokane) News Director Jerry Post was looking for a job and life after news.
He said this time, he wanted to do, “something rewarding that would give back to the community and a business I could run myself.”
So he opened up Mathnasium in a strip mall that used to house and old Radio Shack.
He helps kids with their math skills current, brush up for SATs or get some help on work they struggled with during the year.
A steady stream of students flowed through the doors on a recent afternoon during the last week of school.
Students, most of whom Post greeted by name, checked in and grabbed their individualized binder, then sat at a table staffed by one of nine math instructors.
“Can we do harder stuff?” a boy said.
Post grinned and replied, “Are you getting everything right?”
Post and his wife, KXLY meteorologist Kris Crocker, have three daughters, and his ease around kids shows.
“He’s the father figure of math,” parent Smita Medhi said. “Jerry’s amazing with kids.”
Post said the center’s ability to boost math confidence comes from developing a customized learning plan for each student.
Testing and assessment are offered free of charge without obligation to purchase anything. If parents wish to enroll their child, an individualized learning plan is developed for the student.
“They’re not just learning computation,” Post said. “Half of our time is spent on applied mathematics – we put things in context and they have to show what they know, which helps them retain the math.”
He’s definitely considering opening another location, but for now, Post is savoring this success.
“It’s everything I was hoping for in this job,” he said. “The immediate difference you can make one kid at a time. It the most meaningful thing I could have done.”