Watch CBS News

Sacramento Engineer Follows Her Passion To Teach Math And English

Jenny Tran has always had a love of math so it made sense for her to obtain her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with a minor in chemistry from California State University. She also enjoyed teaching others and would tutor while attending high school and college to help them develop an understanding and appreciation of math.

"After I graduated from college, I worked for a couple different companies and I was the senior engineer for Intel," she said. But after becoming a mother, Tran wanted to take time off to raise her family. While living in San Jose, her children attended Best in Class Education Center, a supplemental education tutoring center for English and math. "The results were wonderful. My daughter's comprehension in math is two grades ahead. My youngest son skipped one grade in math after attending for six months."

When Tran moved to Sacramento from San Jose, there was no Best of Class Center in the area. Tran decided to become a franchisee and combine her passion for math, English and education for children in the area.

"Math is more than just a bunch of meaningless numbers," Tran explained. "Kids don't like math because they are not being taught the correct way. We look to teach practical applications in real life to show them how math is interesting. For example, you can incorporate fractions into everyday life and give kids good reasons to learn fractions. If you are buying a pizza and you want a specific topping on half of a pizza, that is a fraction. We explain when you are cooking and using a measuring cup, you are using math."

As for changing careers, Tran said, "teaching is a wonderful thing to do, I enjoy teaching and I am so happy that I get to fulfill my dream, help my kids and give back to the community of Sacramento with this school.

"I also can't stress enough the importance of getting a college degree. Education is also important in today's job market. It is very competitive and without a degree, advancing can be very hard."

Debbie Hall is practically a Las Vegas native (34 years and counting) and loves experiencing everything in Southern Nevada from the Las Vegas Strip to the surrounding mountains and Lake Mead. She also teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and loves sharing her knowledge. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.