Our Team

Our specially trained math instructors will teach your child how to understand math in an individual setting; our unique approach enables us to explain concepts really well and lend a helping hand to every student. Our tutors foster a caring, encouraging environment that helps kids thrive and learn! Read below to learn more about our talented team:

Robyn Steiner, Owner and Operator

Robyn has over 12 years of teaching experience in the York Region District School board.  She holds a Master of Science in Education, is certified as a specialist in special  education, and holds additional qualifications in math, autism, reading and english.  She  has taught primary, junior, intermediate and special education math.  

Having been an educator in the public school board and a mother of two little girls,  Robyn understands the challenges children face in today's classroom.  She believes that  every child can succeed in math if given the right tools.  

Her passion for making math fun for kids is what led her to join the Mathnasium family.  

Rebecca Smith, Director

Rebecca is excited to join the Mathnasium family.  She has spent the past several years working with children with autism, helping them integrate into community programs.  She has a background in graphic design and fine arts, as well as many years working in sales and marketing.

Rebecca brings a unique perspective to the Mathnasium team.  Combining her many years of working with children with her years in the marketing world, makes her the perfect person to help promote the Mathnasium program.

Paul Onica, Centre Manager/Director Vaughan,Thornhill,Richmond Hill N.

Paul is the Centre Director/Manager at Mathnasium Vaughan primarily but also moves between the Richmond Hill North and Thornhill centres. 

He has a B.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Anthropology from California State University, Long Beach.  Paul has previously worked extensively in Food Services as well as Retail Management, and enjoys all aspects of Daily Centre Operations.  

Mathnasium has been a welcome career change for Paul and he finds it extremely rewarding interacting with both students and parents! He is fully commited to helping to teach and mentor the kids in our centre.  Their Math development and confidence growth is his main priority and he prides himself on ensuring a fun, safe, and enriching environment for all of our students!                 

 Naomi Martin, Manager

     coming soon!

Melissa Garro, Lead Instructor/Manager

Melissa has worked with Mathnasium for over 5 years. She started when she was at York University working towards becoming a math high school teacher, and quickly realized the benefits to applying the Mathnasium methods in her own practice. Melissa graduated from both the Faculty of Education, B. Ed., Inter/Senior Mathematics & Social Science Concurrent program and the Faculty of Science, B.A., Spec. Hons. Mathematics for Education program in 2017, and now spends her days teaching as an Ontario Certified Teacher. Aside from teaching math Melissa loves playing sports, spending time with friends/family, and travelling when she can.

Marc Motica, Lead Instructor

Marc graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics at Trent University.  He was a student teacher as part of his teaching program at Trent and has always wanted to continue his love for teaching after graduating.

Marc has always thought that mathematics was an excellent way to develop reasoning and problem solving skills.  He excels at helping students understand the many different ways to solve a problem and teaches with the appropriate method for them.

His favourite activities include video and board games, playing chess and travelling!

Damen Phang, Instructor

Damen is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a B.A.Sc degree in Chemical Engineering.  He joind Mathnasium to help spread the joy of math and problem solving to students of all ages and grades!  He has previous experience in editing essays and teaching math and science to small groups.  Damen enjoys video games, reading, and is known fondly at Mathnasium as the Instructor with the long-winded, enthusiastic and ever-growing run-on introduction!  "Aaaaand....weeelcome back to Mathnasium@Home....all the fun of Mathnasium...at home...." (well you have to enroll to hear the rest hehe ; )  ).

 Antonio Nardi, Lead Instructor 

Antonio is currently in his fourth year at York University.  He is very skilled and passionate about math!   Antonio is determined to contribute to the growth and development of Mathnasium Vaughan and its students!  His top priority is to help students with any misunderstandings that may occur and to help them to start enjoying math as he did in school.  He also strives to create a positive space for children and High School aged students alike, while helping them build their math skills and confidence levels.   Antonio prides himself on being sympathetic, kind, and compassionate and his teaching style reflects this.  

Daniela Russo, Lead Instructor

Daniela is currently in her second year studying psychology at York University for her Bachelor of Arts.  She hopes to one day become a child psychologist as she has always had a strong passion for working with children. Her love for math started at a young age and continues to grow every day as working with the students has made her love math even more.  Being an instructor at Mathnasium has been the perfect job for her since she takes great pride in helping students grasp concepts and learn something new in math every time they come to the centre.  Her top priority is not only to make sure the students understand the concepts but to put a smile on their faces every time they come in.  She strongly enjoys the fun aspect of her job and is dedicated to helping students build their confidence in math. When she is not teaching at Mathnasium, or doing homework, she enjoys spending time and going out with friends and family.   

Sanan Chaudhry, Lead Instructor

Bio and pic coming soon!

Sharleen Ang, Instructor

Sharleen is a dedicated 11th Grade student attending Father Bressani Catholic Highschool. She
loves interacting with kids of all ages and teaching her favourite subject in school, Math! She
always tutors younger kids and her classmates in her free time to gain lots of experience and
understand all types of learning in every subject for the most efficient learning. She loves
bringing an outgoing and relatable environment to work and is always excited to talk to others
after school!
In her free time, Sharleen loves to read all genres of books and spend time with her friends and
family. Math puns are one of her favourite forms of jokes!

Aiden Nowzari, Instructor

Dan Ronel, Instructor

Mohammad Mohammadi Niayeroodsari, Instructor

Michael Konstantopoulos, Instructor

Andrei Ciceu, Instructor

 bio coming soon!

 Catherine Lieu, Instructor

 Bryan Li, Instructor

 Nancy Zhou, Instructor

Larry Martinek, Chief Instructional Officer  (Headquarters)

Larry has spent his entire career finding a better way to teach math. From inner city to public schools, to acclaimed magnet schools, to leading private and parochial schools, Larry has served as both a classroom teacher and as an educational consultant. He has designed curricula, teaching strategies, and teaching materials designed to help students and teachers learn math more effectively. He has trained teachers in the art and science of boosting student's ability to "do" math, thereby increasing student's math scores and feeling of self-worth. Larry is the developer of Mathnasium's educational program - one of the most comprehensive and innovative curricula ever produced for teaching math.

The Difference in Mathnasium Instructors

Mathnasium instructors are more than just tutors. They are math experts who are passionate about mathematics and teaching children in a way that makes sense. Our instructors are different from typical tutors because they have all been trained to focus on your student's long-term mathematical development, including the development of Number Sense.

In each session our instructors will interact with and engage your child. Their goal is to help students understand their own thinking. Instructors use unique questioning methods to draw the answers from our students rather than use a "lecture" style method often used in schools and by private tutors.

Our rigorous hiring process is designed to ensure we hire only the best. Each candidate is thoroughly tested on their math ability, including all critical elementary and high school topics. All instructors must have teaching, or tutoring experience with children. As part of the interview process, all instructors are expected to complete a trial tutoring session where we observe their teaching style and interaction with kids.

Mathnasium receive training on the proper teaching style and how to teach the Mathnasium curriculum. This training is ongoing and is designed to improve the teaching and communication methods used in our centre.