(303) 979-9077
(303) 979-9077
[email protected]Do you ever walk into a business and read the mission statement? Most of our clients don’t pay attention to our posters with the mission statement and guiding principles, either. As owners, directors, and managers, however, it guides our vision and our daily decisions. These decisions have a direct impact on satisfying the most important people in our business - your children!
Learn how these important core philosophies help us deliver terrific instruction to every student every day.
Mathnasium's Mission
Help every child reach his or her potential in math by teaching the way that makes sense to them.
Notice it says "teaching in the way that makes sense to them" - the student. If a lesson doesn’t make sense to the student the first five ways we explain it, we keep trying different ways until it does make sense. Until that lightbulb moment. We don’t give up. Some children need multiple days to learn a new concept and master using the skill. Some children need a different modality of instruction. We keep working until we find the method that connects with the child, whether they are auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners. We make math make sense. If it doesn’t make sense to the child, it isn’t teaching. Children who get right answers but don’t understand may be relying on algorithms more than mathematical reasoning. Children learning long division often fall into this trap.
Our mission directs us “to help every child reach his or her potential,” not “help every child reach grade level.” The concept of grade level helps teachers keep instruction levels consistent among classrooms, schools, districts, states and beyond. Teachers have an obligation to help every child get to grade level according to the Common Core Standards. We encourage parents to make sure their children are, at minimum, meeting grade level expectations, but grade level refers to the minimum level of math achievement for any child in an age range.
If you compare math achievement in United States to math achievement in other developed nations, you will understand why at Mathnasium we don’t settle for just meeting grade level. Common Core Standards are helping but the U.S. still needs to raise the bar.
Our students start the learning journey with us, wherever they are in math. They may be below grade level when they start or they may be advanced but we know most students have potential far beyond grade level expectations. Their potential is only limited in the time and effort they are willing to invest, especially if they have a growth mindset and are in a growth mindset environment like ours.
Please take a moment to read our series of articles on mindset and accelerated students. With the right instruction and attitude, we believe every student, even ones who have struggled with math in school, have the potential to go beyond “grade level.”
Mindset: Encouraging Mathematical Reason and Creativity
What Math Tests Reveal About Your Child
Mathnasium of Littleton Encourages Girls & Young Women to Pursue Stem Opportunities
6 Ways for Accelerated and Advanced Math Students to Get Excited about Math Again
Should your Child Enroll in the Accelerated Math Class?
Mathnasium's 3 Guiding Principles
People: Find exceptional people and help them to become even greater. People are critical to all we do; human beings are the ultimate teaching technology.
One math center chain uses technology as a key instructional tool. Not us. Our key instructional tools are our instructors. They explain things in a variety of ways using a number of different tools. Students can keep asking questions to the instructors until they understand a concept and instructors can keep asking students until it is clear they understand the concept. This goes back to our motto and our mission. The math must make sense to the student.
Systems: Build systems on best practices and economies and implement them with passion and discipline. People can accomplish marvelous things when they do the right things, in the right way, with the right tools.
We have many systems in place to help every child reach his or her potential. These systems include:
Humanity: Meet the individual, human needs of each child, their parents and our people. Human needs exceed what even the best systems can provide. Children need our care, our passion, our belief in their potential, and our devotion to helping them achieve it. These are needs we never outgrow.
When your children come into our center, they will receive a warm greeting. When they work hard and succeed they will get immediate human feedback in the form of a high five, applause, or “knuckles.” Instructors also tell jokes, smile, encourage, and refocus students. It is not uncommon for a child to walk in feeling defeated about something and walk out smiling. We have yet to see an app that can build this type of relationship with kids.
Come See Us to Discover the Mathnasium Method
We could write a whole book on our mission and guiding principles, but we don’t think you would read it. To really understand us, come in for a visit. We’ll show you around and answer your questions. Better, yet, schedule your child for a FREE, one-hour, trial session and let them experience our Mission and Guiding Principles firsthand. We want to the appropriate materials ready for them, so please call ahead and make an appointment. 303-979-9077
This article was written by and owned by Cuttlefish Copywriting. It is copyright protected. Mathnasium of Littleton has permission to use it. Other Mathnasium locations should contact Heather at i[email protected] before using it.
