Why does math seem to be such a challenge for students of Body of Christ Academy? And for the teacher, as well? My math teaching journey is far from over, and I know that I've stumbled along the way, but I hope that when I arrive at the end, the reward will be worth it.
I've studied many different math philosophies or approaches to teaching math. I've used many different methods to teach a particular concept. I've used numerous curriculums over the years, and I've come to at least one conclusion: understanding the language of math is fluid--one student may understand it one day, and not the next. A student may feel a sense of accomplishment because he 'gets it', or his anger may flare and he may rant and rave that 'this is stupid and I'm not going to do it anymore!' So far, I haven't had a student who said, 'can we do one more lesson, Mom?' But there have been some 'ah-ha' moments as the light goes on and comprehension reigns over a concept.
I am enjoying teaching math this year. It's my second time (really my third if you count my own high school math experience) through Geometry and my third time teaching Algebra I. I can't say that my students enjoy it, but I feel more confident as a teacher that they are learning, slowly but surely. I hope my confidence will seep into their consciences so they can see that math isn't awful, and may even be fun at times.
I know I am not teaching math geniuses, but the logic and order of math seems to appeal to me and my students. We can see logically the how and why of math. It's like making sense of a foreign language. As I reminded one of my students today, math brings order and logic to what would be chaos without it. God is a God of math; He gave us math as a gift. We should be thankful for this gift (at this point, eyes are rolling at me with expressions of 'oh brother, mom!'). Being thankful for the 'discipline' of math would be a reward this teacher sees as a worthy goal for her students to attain.
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