Los Gatos Educator Creates Teaching Program to Learn Math

Only three out of every 10 kids are proficient in math.

Los Gatos resident Richard W. Fisher, an award-winning math educator, says he's working hard to reverse that trend.

He's promoting a math program he's created that he says helps parents and students easily learn the difficult subject.

Fisher's program consists of four books, Mastering Essentials Math Skills Books 1 & 2, Pre-Algebra, and No-Nonsense Algebra.

The lessons, he explains, are short, concise and self-contained, with "no fluff or distractions."

Bonus points: The program contains a video tutorial for each lesson.

Fisher was a math instructor in the Oak Grove School District in San Jose for more than 31 years.

Since graduating from San Jose State University in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, he's devoted his time to making the learning of numbers easy.

As a teacher, each year approximately half of his sixth-grade students would bypass the seventh-grade math program and move directly to a high-powered eighth-grade algebra program, he says.

Fisher has won the prestigious “Intel Innovations in Teaching Award” and the Glenn W. Hoffmann Exemplary Award.

Fisher and wife Elena have a daughter, Vica, a student at Whittier College. He enjoys road bicycling, weight training and outdoor activities.

He also has a dog, Karma, and two cats, Surgei and Anastasia.