My name is Katya Mathes.  I grew up in Russia in a family of educators.  I remember my days of going to work with mom or dad and admiring their occupation.  I remember wondering what it would feel like to teach other people and be successful...  And here I am today, 16 years after choosing the same profession, with no regret. 

Needless to say, my parents put a lot of emphasis on my academic preparedness.  It was never an option not to do well in school.  There were no private colleges so one had to make all As to get into a state-run higher education institution.  So I worked hard, made good grades and fell in love with learning.  I received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in English as a foreign language. I then came to Nashville and graduated from Lipscomb University with a Master of Education degree.

My husband and I met at Fido’s coffee shop in Hillsboro Village while I was completing my thesis.  We have been married for 5 years and love living in Nashville.  We are raising two rescue puppies.  They bring a lot of joy to us.  I say that I am thankful for my educational background because I can use my teacher voice with them and it seems to work :).

My Philosophy

Children learn from the moment they are born, and my goal is to work with that natural curiosity while developing math and literacy skills to prepare them to reach their highest potential in the future.  I want them to learn and be exposed to such concepts as uppercase and lowercase letters, sounds and syllables, blending phonemes, numerals and counting, quantity and correspondence, ordering and sorting, money and time and much more.  I designed my curriculum using the knowledge of children’s cognitive  and physical development so I want them to get busy through hands-on activities, not just ditto sheets.  If I can excite them about learning and exploring then I will consider my mission accomplished.

Photography by:

Venus Raquel Photography