10/12/10

This was taken at Jordan Pond in Maine.

So I officially know why I teach second grade:

I CAN DO THE MATH.
(ok... and many other reasons, but just humor me a bit)

Last night's homework with two children in our household was one of erasing, erasing, more erasing, and Mom and Dad using a calculator to figure out the problems because our brains were too tired to do it the long way. Bedtime is usually around 8:30 to be IN BED. We were still working on math problems after 9:00.

In my mind I tried to conjure up impressive words like "numerator" and "denominator" but all I could think to say was "That number goes on top of that number!"

Multiplying 385x234 may not look like something that should scare an adult, but it did me last night. It's because it has been a MIGHTY LONG time since I have seen that amount of number being multiplied.

See, I am used to 5x2 or 10 divided by 2.

That is what I teach.

That is what I know really well.

That is why I am apparently going to have to go back to school to help my own children in their expanding math concepts!

I am going to be honest here: I have always been bad at math. I can still get sweaty palms and heart palpitations thinking about figuring out a math story problem.

Do you want to know how many times I have given my students a story problem or math problem only to be over near my desk frantically racking my brain to figure out the answer before they do!???

Do you want to know that I was around 25 years old and teaching before I knew why they called quarter after the hour, quarter after the hour!????? Hello, broad as daylight that the clock can be divided into fourths! (I was always a bit slow to catch on to things... just ask my brother, Kevin.)

Fractions, my dear friends... oh, goodness....I never really got those as a child either.... and if you give me ones different than the ones I teach I may give you that glazed eye look and have a panic moment!!! When Steve and my Dad start throwing around fractions when they are using tools I just look at them and try to figure out what in the world the size would be. I finally figure it out when they are done.

Kevin likes to throw out math problems to me and watch me "squirm" and try to figure them in my head. I have to visualize them.... it takes a while.... I need paper.

They like to laugh at me about that.

I have been in second grade entirely too long. I am stuck in simple addition and subtraction facts, simple multiplication and division, measures and a few fractions. I also like A LOT of visual aids in helping me understand a concept.

It is nice that my own two children are expanding my mind in ways I never realized.

All I know is Math still makes me quake in my boots... but don't you tell my students that!

Anyone else out there like that? Don't be shy... you are in good company.

Now, anyone interested in some History? I really dig that. :)