When Sharon Canaday began tutoring in 2020, it was less the result of a carefully laid business plan than of circumstance.

A classroom teacher who had seen firsthand the challenges of traditional education, she was exploring new ways to support students when schools were in upheaval. What started as a stopgap quickly became a passion. Tutoring, she discovered, offered the chance to tailor every lesson to one child, in real time.

From that discovery, TurningPoint Math was born.

At the heart of TurningPoint Math is a simple belief that one-on-one instruction is the most effective way to help students thrive in mathematics. Canaday had always been an educator who cared deeply about her students’ progress, but in tutoring, she witnessed breakthroughs that underscored the power of individualized attention. One student, for instance, began working with her at the level of a first grader and, within three years, was excelling in high school geometry despite also being on the autism spectrum. These transformations were not isolated cases but part of a larger truth that children often need a more personal, flexible approach than traditional models can provide.

Unlike big-box tutoring agencies, TurningPoint Math emphasizes depth over volume. The company’s sessions are built around the nationally respected RightStart Math curriculum, prioritizing conceptual understanding over rote memorization. Students are guided not just through procedures but through the reasoning behind them.


The foundation is critical because many children advance through grade levels without mastering the basics of number sense and place value. TurningPoint Math helps students unlock their ability to progress rapidly by filling those gaps. One child who had struggled in third grade was coached intensively on number sense over the summer. By the time he returned to school, his mother reported he had gone from the bottom of his class to being the peer that other students turned to for help.

This focus on building an accurate understanding extends to the tutors themselves. Canaday is selective about who she brings onto her team, insisting that every educator must have a genuine passion for mathematics. Many of her tutors are former classroom teachers; some are now home with young children, while others are retired but eager to stay engaged. She has even recruited a longtime friend who lacked formal teaching credentials but demonstrated a clear teacher’s heart.

"If a potential tutor doesn't light up when they talk about math, I'm not interested," Canaday explains.

That insistence on enthusiasm has become a hallmark of the company. The tutor’s passion, she believes, is contagious. When students sense genuine excitement for the subject, they are more likely to engage with and adopt that enthusiasm.

TurningPoint Math’s growth has also created opportunities for educators who might otherwise be sidelined. Teachers balancing family responsibilities can continue contributing their expertise, while retired professionals find meaningful ways to remain active in education. In this way, the company supports students and sustains a community of educators who share its mission.

The stories of transformation continue to fuel Canaday’s vision. What sets TurningPoint Math apart is the method. The company does not treat math as a checklist of procedures but as a language of understanding. Building confidence alongside competence helps students experience math not as a barrier but as a gateway.

As TurningPoint Math expands, it remains grounded in the philosophy that sparked its creation: one-on-one learning is powerful, personal, and profoundly effective. For Canaday and her team, the mission is clear. They are changing how students experience math, one child at a time.