Math is Crap!

“I hate math!” 

Math book with the title Math is Crap

“Math is too hard!”

“Why do we even need math?”

Have you heard any of these comments before?  Sadly, I have heard them all and many, many more.

What’s the Problem

From my 25 years of experience, the problem seems to stem from fear. Not fear of the teacher, or of other students. Not even fear of cafeteria food. Fear of FAILURE! Why would a child want to go to a place where they constantly felt like they are drowning?

Being afraid to fail combined with too much technology, the state’s constant need to change the curriculum (every time we almost reach our goal, TEA moves the finish line), the “fun” stuff and the always dreaded state testing, students are hating school more and more. Let’s break it down.

Tech Time

Cell phone, Laptop, iPad, Game Controller
Cell phone, Laptop, iPad, Game Controller

Don’t get me wrong; I love technology.  It makes life easier.  Who doesn’t want to be able to look up random information and receive an answer in 2.5 seconds?

The problem is that it is hard to keep kids off their phones, computers and gaming consoles and get them to read a book or maybe study their multiplication facts.  You’d think with all the apps geared toward education, including multiplication facts, that you would see an impressive number of students having memorized them. 

You’d Be Wrong! 

The truth is that I have seen a decline in the number of students that know their multiplication facts good enough to be confident in the classroom when solving problems. Why is that? No shocker, I have an opinion on this.

Many of the online educational games the kids can play have some sort of reward system where they get to advance in their game or what they can do with the number of correct answers. I assumed that this would be encouragement enough for my students to try their hardest.

Nope!

After the first few times of letting the students play an online math game, I noticed that the percent passing was very low. It didn’t matter that they were actually earning a failing grade on the assignment because they were still allowed to play the games. I wasn’t shocked that my struggling students were not passing, but I was blown away to see my top students were also failing.

Once I let them know I was able to monitor their progress and they would be reassigned the skills to complete again, they all started busting out the scratch paper and began working the problems out. Not surprisingly, all grades improved tremendously.

I’ll Never Be As Entertaining As That

Let’s be honest, I, as a teacher, am just not as entertaining as the latest game on the market.  While teachers do their best to make lessons fun and exciting, there is only so much we can do before we have to get down to the business of making sure skills are taught. 

It’s at this point that we start to hear phrases like, “This is boring!”  Compared to the fast-paced gaming world, I can see where some students would not be entertained by 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication. 

You Want Me to Teach What!

Don’t even get me started on the Texas Education Agency. The agency is continually revamping something. Teachers are constantly dealing with how to integrate new TEKS into their curriculum.

In 4th grade math, we have about a million (an exaggeration, but not by much) TEKS to teach.  Yes, some TEKS are just supporting and have already been taught, but not everyone has mastered them. A lot of time is spent reteaching. We also have many new skills that must be introduced and taught to mastery.  It is that last part that I feel like we are not accomplishing as much as we need to.

A Bright Idea (Just Kidding)

A couple of years ago, the state came up with the bright idea to move financial literacy to the 4th grade.  On the outside, it sounds like a good idea. The problem is 4th graders don’t pay the bills or buy cars and houses.  It is tough to get everyone to understand the difference between fixed and variable rates when it is not even in their realm of reality.

Wouldn’t the students’ time be more wisely spent learning how to complete division problems to mastery?  I’m pretty sure the surgeon that performed my emergency appendectomy last year did not study financial literacy or how to create strip diagrams to solve word problems in the fourth grade.  Spoiler alert:  I lived!  Just saying.  

How the “Fun” Stuff Goes Down in the Classroom

While all the education gurus will disagree with me, I began to realize that all the extra isn’t helping ALL students.

Let me set the scene.  Expanded form and expanded notation have just been introduced. You’ve explained the difference and have taken a few notes.  You’ve glued some examples into your Interactive Notebook (Someone made millions off this idea!) which took about 15 minutes to accomplish because of an unfortunate glue explosion. We got that mess cleaned up, and the class practiced writing a couple of numbers both ways.

Next, you pass out half sheets of paper and have everyone write a 4-digit number.  They crumble it up. When you give the go-ahead, they throw it up in the air and not at someone.

"Snowballs"
“Snowballs”

After you’ve dealt with that one kid who didn’t listen and chose to nail a student in the forehead from across the room, you have everyone pick up one “snowball” and change the number into expanded form and expanded notation, so they can present their results. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong!

There are typically 3 different outcomes.

Group 1: This is Awesome!

There is the group that will be able to crank out both with no problem. They totally understand just by listening.  These are the students that already have a basic understanding of math and thrive on the competition of being able to finish first.  They are secure in their skills and are not afraid to put themselves out there. These students love this type of activity.

Group 2: This is Kind of Fun.

The next group will struggle but get most of it right because they refer to their notes.  I like to call these kids street smart.  They use what they have around them to figure out how to survive.  These are the ones that will usually take a little longer but will mostly get their answers correct. They are the rule followers that participate because their teacher told them to.

Group 3: Who’s Stupid Idea Was This?

Then there is the group that will look at you like you have been smoking crack. They are clueless.  Some of them will try to use the notes to help, but they only copied what you wrote. They don’t have a clue what it really means.  Others will just scribble something down. A few will even try to take a quick peek at their neighbor’s work to get an idea. Then there are those who will suddenly have to go to the bathroom, claim they feel sick and want to go to the nurse, or just burst into tears.

This is the group that would rather gouge their eyes out than participate in an activity like this.  They just don’t have the confidence needed to be successful with that skill BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT PRACTICED IT ENOUGH!

It’s the last group that really concerns me.  This is the group that needs to practice a skill over and over and over before they can internalize it.  But they don’t get the practice they need. Students have been rushed through the lesson to get to the “fun” activity because it was supposed yield amazing results. Instead, it has only caused some to fear math more.

Fear

As adults, we know that fear is something that holds us back.  We understand that it needs to be overcome if we want to be successful in whatever it is we are doing.  Now imagine a 10-year-old walking into a building 5 days a week full of fear because they know it will just be another struggle in math.  Even I have had this feeling. 

7s, 8s, 9s multiplication flash cards
Flash Cards

My story takes place approximately 39 years ago, when I was in Mrs. Fuller’s 3rd-grade class. The day of our multiplication test over the 7’s, 8’s, and 9’s facts had arrived. Our loving teacher would quiz us by flashing us the cards at the back table. If we answered incorrectly, she wrote that fact down on a piece of paper and we had to write them 100 times each. That is not a typo. ONE HUNDRED!!

The Walk

My heart started racing when Mrs. Fuller called my name. I can still remember the nervousness I felt as I walked to the stupid little horseshoe table. Nothing good ever happened at that table. (This is probably why I do not have one of those tables in my classroom!)

I had not prepared enough for the quiz. Those dang facts were tough. No one had bothered to teach us the nine’s finger trick back then. That would have helped a little. I wanted to throw up as the cards were flashed and the list kept growing. By the end of my “test” I had a list of 7 missed facts.

After school, I went straight to my mom with tears in my eyes because I had to write 700 multiplication facts that night. Her response went something like this, “Well I guess you should have studied more. Now get in there and write them.”

Clock
Clock

While studying more would have definitely helped me that day, that isn’t always the case for every student. Sometimes, it is not about their effort. The problem is that they take longer to internalize skills, and the fast-paced classroom is a constant source of anxiety. Again, they just need more of what we don’t have enough to give: TIME!

The Worst 4-Letter Word in Education: TEST

Today’s math class has to move fast to get everything taught.  I remember the Good Ole Days when I could spend two weeks on the multiplication process.  Now we can only allow a matter of days for each skill. We have to move on to the next topic to make sure all skills are introduced by standardized testing time.

I sometimes feel like my only goal is a test and not whether or not my students are able to apply all math skills. Sorry!  No time to practice. Got to move on to the next topic.  The test will be here before you know it!!

When Art Imitates Life

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

A line in the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix spoken by Professor Umbridge always makes me think about education today. She says,

          “Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about.” (Rowling, 2003) 

That last part gets me every time. Raise your hand if you have felt this way!  School is perceived to be all about testing.

In the movie, the students decide to take it upon themselves to learn and practice the basic skills they need to defend themselves.

While I don’t think we need to defend ourselves against the Texas Standards, I do think some students need more time to practice the basic skills so they can protect themselves against the anxiety caused by having to complete tasks with just a vague understanding of the necessary math concepts.

The Result

Kids are struggling more and more, and parents and teachers are struggling to come up with ways to help them. I have comforted many parents while they cried during parent/teacher conferences because they can’t figure out how to help their child do 4th grade math.

I started wondering…

Why Didn’t My Kids Struggle with Math?

My three kids never really struggled in math. My husband and I have successfully graduated one, and the other two are efficiently navigating high school.

I’m not saying there were never issues, but theirs were more like speed bumps as opposed to road blocks. After spending some time contemplating why our kids were generally successful in math, I came to the realization that it was because both of their parents are math teachers.  So, in essence, they got to take a math teacher home. 

When there was a problem, I didn’t bust out a box of manipulatives or a high-yield strategy. I sat down with them and went over the process with them again and again.  Then I made them practice it until they had the confidence needed to be successful.

A Few Suggestions

Although it can sometimes be a slow process, it is possible to create confident students who no longer fear stepping through the door of the math classroom.

Here are a few suggestions to accomplish that:

Multiplication and Division Flash Cards
Multiplication and Division Flash Cards
  1. Depending on their grade level, have them memorize their math facts. Start when they are young and have them memorize their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Test them on their facts. This may sound harsh, but make them write the ones they miss. I’m not saying it has to be 100 times each, but make them write them multiple times.
  2. Go over their homework with them every night. This allows you to catch mistakes and any misunderstandings about concepts.
  3. If they do struggle with a skill like multiplying large numbers or long division, sit with them and go over the process step by step. Then give them additional problems to solve in order for them to master the skill.
  4. Your child needs to read every night. Yes, a math teacher is recommending reading to help develop math skills. Solving math problems requires a lot of reading. Students need to have a good grasp of the written word so they can decipher what a problem is asking.

Something A Little Different

Helping your child get caught up or get ahead will be worth every minute of time invested. While parents typically have the best intentions when it comes to their children’s education, life can get in the way. Sometimes families will choose outside help for their kids. There are many tutoring options online and in person to help struggling students in all educational areas.

Books and a crown
bookandcrown.com

Having a little different perspective on the educational process, I came up with a solution to helping elementary math students. It is basically a way for students to be able to take a math teacher home. I have created multiplication courses that are in video format and allow students to follow the step-by-step process for multiplying numbers. If you want your child to have more help, but don’t always have a lot of time in the evenings, give a couple of my FREE video courses a try.

 

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Why Having a Senior in High School is Driving Me Crazy and a Few Tips to Survive

Senior Ring
Senior Ring

Have you ever heard the saying, “This ain’t my first rodeo?”  Well, being the mom of a high school senior is my first rodeo.  It feels like 8 seconds are winding down, I’ve been thrown from the bull, stepped on, and now the rodeo clowns are headed out into the arena. Instead of helping me to safety, they just give me a kick in the gut, shake their heads and walk away.  Dramatic?  Nope!  This is my interpretation of my first-born graduating and leaving home.

It Was the Beginning of the End

Like most high school students, he started to talk about graduating at the beginning of his junior year.  Honestly, I didn’t think much about it because it seemed light years away.  Then August rolled around, and crap got real!

Senior registration day started out like any other stifling hot and humid August day in South Texas.  That was until the afternoon rolled around and our son informed us we didn’t need to go with him to registration.  Excuse me!  I grew him for nine months while puking my guts up.  I would most definitely be there for the last registration.  Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20, and by the time we finished winding our way through the registration line, I was rethinking my stance on being present for this milestone.  There was the senior t-shirt to buy, the yearbook table where we purchased a full-page ad, and then the brochures for photographers for senior pictures. By the time we got out of there, it was wine time.

The Deadlines Approach

Then the deadlines began looming menacingly in front of me.  First, it was the deadline for the senior ad.  This meant I had to go through what seemed like an endless number of photos from birth to the present and choose only 15-17 to put on his ad page.  That was no picnic.  I needed about ten pages for all the pictures I wanted. Surely everyone would want to flip through page after page of my child.  Alas, I did have to narrow it down.  It was a long process that brought back so many wonderful memories.

There were the pictures of the times he would stick his burpy into the front of his diaper while playing so he wouldn’t lose it and the many birthday parties smiling by his cakes that I made and decorated for him.  There were pics of him in cowboy hats and undies, wearing his dad’s basketball shoes and too many more to mention.  My eyes teared up so many times I lost count.  I just recently had to approve the proof of the page and am happy to report that the finished product turned out fantastic.  All the stress over choosing the right pictures to represent his 18 years was unnecessary.

The next deadline I had to meet was getting senior pictures scheduled. Once we chose the photographer, it was time to choose the outfit or outfits.  Yes, sometimes they want pics in a bunch of different outfits.  Did you know that a wardrobe change means an increase in session charges? Well, it does.  Thank goodness my senior is a guy and didn’t want wardrobe changes.  He wore jeans he already had but did allow a new shirt.  It was a pullover, but at least it was new.  I worried for weeks about these pictures, and even though they had to be rescheduled once due to a hurricane, they went off without a hitch.  They were over in about 20 minutes.  It took longer to drive to the location than the $150 session lasted, but they turned out amazing.  Again, all my worrying was for nothing.

Ready or Not, Here Life Comes!

2018 Cap and Tassel
2018 Cap and Tassel

OK, so I revamped that saying just a little.  But seriously, I’m not entirely sure the boy is going to be able to survive without me.  This is a real concern.

Will He Smell?

He has had to do his laundry for a while now, but I don’t think he has ever hung or folded an article of clothing.  Clothes just get thrown in the basket, and that’s the end of it.  When I complain about the wrinkled look, his response is, “Mom, I’m a guy.”  He is not going to school naked, so I guess that’s a win.

Can He Clean?

Cleaning is also not one of his strong points. His room is in a constant state of disarray, and by disarray, I mean it looks like a bomb has gone off in there.  Did you know that dirty plates, empty water bottles and half full Whataburger cups do not bother most kids?  Oh, and you can’t see his floor on most days.  I went in once and started gathering dirty clothes because he asked me to find a shirt for him.  When he got home, and everything was in the laundry basket, he about died.  I had mixed his clean piles up with his dirty ones.  Wait, what? He thinks clean clothes go on the floor? Just one more example of why he does not need to leave me.

What if he is in his apartment and his feet get all tangled up in his laundry piles causing him to trip and bump his head?  No one will be there to hear the thump and save him from bleeding out on his clean clothes heap!  A little too far-fetched? I think not.  It’s a real worry.

What Will He Eat?

Then there is the matter of nutrition?  He thinks he can cook, but I don’t believe ramen and frozen dinners count.  Who will be there to encourage him to buy natural peanut butter instead of the hydrogenated kind or to have a nice juicy chicken breast with veggies instead of swinging into a Whataburger?  No one, that’s who.

What If He Does Try to Clean?

And then there was the infamous dishwasher incident.  I know people say, “It’s the thought that counts,” but when that thought becomes an inch-thick layer of bubbles covering the kitchen floor, I wish he had kept that thought to himself.  He was trying to get a few brownie points by loading and starting the dishwasher.  Unfortunately, I had failed to discuss the difference between the -er and -ing when it applies to dishes.  You know, dishwasher liquid when you put things in the dishwasher and dishwashing liquid when you are washing the dishes by hand.

I feel like there will be a lot of paper goods and care packages in the boy’s future.

Never mind.  I’m Ready for Him to Go!

There have been days, though, that I’ve wanted to boot him out a bit early.  I had a friend tell me that he would start to do things that would help prepare me for his eventual flight from the nest.  I didn’t believe her at first, but recently there have been times that I’m counting the days to liftoff myself.

The Appearance of the Jerk

Case in point, a couple of days ago he wanted to go to a playoff basketball game in town that we were going to.  My husband suggested we all go together instead of taking two vehicles.  His reply was, “That’s fine, but sometimes I just really want to go places by myself.”  Say what! That really hurt my feelings.  Maybe it was because it had been a long week at school or maybe my meds were wearing off (Yes, I’m medicated!  You want me medicated!), but I then refused to go because I was ticked off and pouty. I kind of forgot who the adult was for a minute and ended up being the one that lost out on the game and time with my kid.  I did not make the right call on that one.

Desire to be an Adult

Another bone of contention was the girlfriend. The majority of the year, he was dating a young lady and spent most of his time with her.  I found myself constantly wondering where they were, what they were doing, was there adult supervision? I kept running my phone battery down by continually checking Find My iPhone making sure he was where he told me he would be, but there isn’t an app that I know of that could tell me if he was making good choices.  It’s a terrifying thing when your kid is out and about.  You can only hope that you’ve raised him right and if the urges become too hard to withstand  that he remembers to “wrap it up!”  Is that the wrong advice? Maybe, but it is responsible advice.

Overly Excited to Leave

Finally, the constant, “I can’t wait to get my own place,” is driving me crazy.  I want to smack him, and I don’t mean a little kiss on the cheek.  What would it hurt for him to pretend he is sad to leave home?  I would greatly appreciate it if he could be thoughtful enough to squeeze out a tear or two for my sake.  Is that too much to ask, because I don’t think so? Maybe if I remind him that I had to be hospitalized four times due to dehydration and the inability to keep anything down while happily protecting him inside my delicate body, he would reconsider his constant chatter about moving out.  I may have brought this up a time or two in his 18 years, so it may not be as effective as I’d like.

And the Solution to Surviving your High School Senior Is

Hugs

Hug obnoxiously.  No, I’m serious.  You need to get your hug on.  I don’t care if your son or daughter is not really a big hugger or if you have never been overly affectionate. Now is not the time to worry about any of that.  You don’t have very long left with them, so use your time wisely and hug.

I’d like to point out the regular bedtime hugs and leaving to head to work hugs, but don’t forget the going upstairs to change hugs, the just getting something out of the truck hugs, or especially the running downstairs to grab a drink of water hugs.  Become an expert (insert annoying) hugger.  Everyone will be thrilled and if they aren’t coming around to your way of thinking, just wrap them up in a bear hug until they get with the program.  My kids think hugs are the greatest.  Actually, I think the younger two just feel bad for me and are putting up with it.  Whatever! I’m loving it.

Get Over It!

Second, get over things quickly.  They are going to do things to make us mad or hurt our feelings.  Just remember, frontal lobes aren’t fully developed until about 25. They can’t help themselves.  Sometimes you are just going to have to let crap go, and when you think about skipping out on the Little Dribblers game he is coaching due to hurt feelings, don’t do it!  Go to that game and cheer your heart out for his team.  Sit proudly as he argues with the refs because they don’t know the rules and it is hurting his girls.  Then be there after the loss to hug him and keep him from continuing his “discussion” with the refs (He is so much like his dad.).

If you skip that game because you are mad or don’t show up to a function that is important to him because you just don’t like his attitude, remember that you will never get the chance again to be at that one event.  Once it passes, the opportunity is gone for good.  It is a moment in time you will never get back. They may say it doesn’t matter if you are there or not, but I promise that they will remember if you made an effort.  Just go.  Support.  Cheer.

Talk, A Lot!

Next, visit with your senior.  Enjoy the time you have left with him under your roof.  Have him sit with you and just talk about nothing at all.  Now are the times we want to focus on making sure they are prepared to be on their own.  We want to discuss responsibilities, money, how to be a productive member of society.  We should have these discussions, but we also just need to have a chat, as I like to call it.

Talk about the good old days like when his brother was a baby and ate a roach causing him to throw up or the times he projectile vomited mashed potatoes because of the texture.  (Yes, I tried to feed him these more than once.  I just couldn’t wrap my head around a kid not liking mashed potatoes. It’s weird!) Tell funny stories.  Tell sad stories.  Just share, share, share. I should warn you that you may need to be calm when they start sharing back, especially, if you should find out that he, his brother and sister used to climb out the window in your old house and sit on the roof.  After all, no one got hurt.

Final Thoughts

Letterman Jacket
Letterman Jacket

Recently, I was complaining about this whole rush to grow up and leave issue when one of my sisters pointed out, “This is all y’all’s fault.  Y’all have raised him to be independent.”  That certainly helped to put things in perspective.  Now I will sit back and enjoy the time I have left with him still living under our roof.

With the few months we have left, I will try to enjoy all the little things that we are usually too busy to focus on.  I will chat more, hug constantly, and just be in the moment more.  Make memories and remember that it is ok to cry but try not to put a damper on their senior year because you don’t know how to handle it.  That’s where I’m at.  Just trying to make it through one senior year day at a time.

Now I’m off to try to decide on graduation invitations.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute to do something important.

Let’s Chat

If you have something to share about being a first-time senior parent, please do so.

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