Ilanit Helfand has always loved math. After earning an 800 on her math SAT, she graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College with a degree in math, and then she went on to complete her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Northeastern University.
In graduate school, Ilanit started teaching math and realized that she loved teaching as much as she loved to study math. She taught courses to undergraduate students and started to privately tutor students as well both for course work and test preparation. In 2011, she moved from Boston to Tel Aviv, Israel, and began to teach online courses. Though she now lives back in New York, she continues to teach online. She currently serves on the online teaching faculty at Northeastern University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Ottawa University. She has also been involved in course design at Southern New Hampshire, creating written and recorded material which has been used by over 10,000 students.
At Northeastern University, Ilanit was nominated for the Excellence in Teaching award. At Southern New Hampshire University, Ilanit was nominated for an award for Commitment to Student Success, and she is the winner of the 2017 Award for Outstanding Instruction in STEM.
Over her years teaching math, Ilanit has focused on improving students’ relationships with mathematics. Many students come in with a fear of math or believing that they are not “math people.” Ilanit’s goal is to give students confidence in their ability to do math by exercising a growth mindset so that the benefits of the tutoring long outlast the time spent with the tutor.
Ilanit lives in Park Slope with her husband, a medical resident, and their two daughters. She loves to listen to audiobooks, and she can usually be found listening while doing housework, walking the dog, or just relaxing on the couch. In her spare time, she is learning to code in Python and starting a mindfulness practice.
