Why HATE Math?

As I prepare for the start of any school year, I have come to the very realistic knowledge that about 30% of my students enter my room on the first dreading my class.  Not because I have a “reputation” but because I teach that four letter word: MATH.  And not only do I teach math, but I teach MIddle School Math, 7th grade primarily.  I like to think of it as the perfect storm: the most awkward and scary time in adolescence, most students are starting at a new school, and math tends to be a highly disliked subject.  Lets face it, if you walk up to most adults and say you like MATH you get looks, but if you say you TEACH MATH you get even weirder looks, and if you say you TEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH the look is usually followed by a: “oh bless your heart” or “yikes that must be rough” or “do you like that?”  (I’m pretty sure the reaction is similar anytime you tell adults you voluntarily chose to work with middle schoolers).  

But despite all of this I go to school on that first day excited to meet my students, and apprehensive for what the year ahead holds.  The discussion of why students struggle with math comes up in meetings often. My district is continually trying to implement programs and support systems to help kids be more successful in math.  So the idea of having a summer school bridge course was brought up, the focus would be students who struggled in middle school (MATH haters), to help them be better prepared for high school. Sounds great.  So naturally I volunteered.  As time when on, questions like: what should we teach? What materials will we have? How will we grade this?  Were answered with wide eyes.  

So I was excited, I would get to design and teach whatever I felt was most important.  This excitement was quickly met with anxiety: do I know what is most important?  So I talked to colleagues and got a direction on the topics I would focus on.  I sat down to plan.  I wanted to focus on hands on activities, application problems, explorations and growth mindset.  3 hours later I had successfully planned my first class.  Only 18 more to go… it was going to be a bit more time consuming than originally planned.  But I did it, and yesterday I had my first day.

This first day was a little different than the ones in my past.  This time I KNEW that 100% of those students who were entering my room were DREADING it.  A room full of 25 or so students who have never found success in Math and now got the privilege to give up a month of their summer to do MORE MATH.

Well I just finished day 2, the 2 hours periods have flown by, my students have been engaged, they got to “play” with pattern blocks, solve puzzles, play cards all while DOING MATH!  Now don’t get me wrong they aren’t all transformed into math enthusiasts, but they are ALL working, trying, and even smiling!  I told two of them today, that by the end of the month I wanted to hear them say that this really wasn't so bad after all.  And in all honesty I have had more fun teaching these past 2 days then I have had in awhile.