MEET THE CREATOR
Hello, my name is Terry Burton. I’m the Founder and CEO of Picture Math, Inc.
As many of you know, having good math skills is very important for everyday life. A lot of successful careers depend on being proficient in math. I was fortunate to have had an interest in math and science during grade school and high school. Doing well in these subjects inspired me to attend St. Louis College of Pharmacy. I graduated and have been practicing pharmacy for about 40 years.
My interest in math developed into a passion for creating math products and methods for teaching math years ago! My wife, Cathy, and I have 3 beautiful daughters. I guess you can call me a Girl Dad. When one of my daughters was in first grade, she brought home math papers marked with grades of 100 % correct. Upon closer inspection, my wife noticed all of the problems were incorrect. We spoke with the teacher and were told the students had graded each other’s papers. Our daughter knew how to add but said she just wrote down any answer because she would get 100 %. We informed the teacher that the problems were not correct and to our astonishment, the teacher wasn’t concerned. She stated that the students were just having fun! We also spoke with the principal and he didn’t think it was a big deal!
The same day I went to a teacher supply store looking for math products that would teach kids progressively from kindergarten through 5th grade. Surprisingly, I couldn't find any of these math manipulatives.
So, over the years I developed my own unique products and manipulatives to help make math fun and easy for students to learn. This includes my Cipher Quick Math Card Game and Math Boards. My products help to reinforce basic math and allow students to have fun while doing it!
I recognize that math isn’t every child’s favorite subject. I believe that teaching math in a fun and engaging way will help students to explore the exciting world of numbers and discover that math is easy to learn! After all, these are the most crucial math building block years of their lives.
The promise is through our program, the child is given the tools needed to succeed in their math journey. My kids have grown up playing the games and using the products. Even now, my grandkids benefit from these products. And so have their friends!
So, in the future, whether a student decides to become a pharmacist like I did, an accountant like my oldest daughter, a nurse like my second oldest daughter, a privacy manager like my youngest, or a next year pharmacy school graduate like my oldest granddaughter they will become confident in their math skills.
I like to give special thanks to my family, friends, students, parents, and teachers who supported me throughout this very important journey.
Parents, educators ….please explore our site and purchase a card game or math kit for the special children/students in your life.