1. Our favorite “aha!” moment with a student.
A: My favorite "aha!" moment was working with a student who was in the 5th grade and trying to understand the concept of percentages. This particular student was strong in their multiplication fluency. I was able to show them a picture and explain the "Mathnasium" way of working with percentages. They had been struggling for several weeks. They would seem to get the concept and then forget it the next time. But it was rewarding to see after a couple of weeks, when it clicked.
2. A time when a student earned a reward.
A: I was working with a student, who had a reward that they really wanted. It took them several months of hard work to earn enough punch cards to receive that award. They were so excited when they finally earned enough to get their coveted prize. I was super proud of them for how hard they worked and how accomplished they felt when finally gaining that reward.
3. Positive parent experience.
A: This summer, we had a parent walk in to thank a couple of instructors for helping her child complete her math classes in school this semester. She wrote us cards and promised to bring her daughter back during the next school year to continue improving her experience in school!
4. Favorite ways to teach concepts.
A: Fractions are always a good topic to do with pictures or other manipulatives. A favorite of mine is using the fraction bars to show equivalent fractions because it proves that fractions can have different "names" but represent the same amount.
5. A time when a student scored well on a test.
A: We had a student come through the program who had no intention of going to a four-year college because she did not believe she could be accepted into one, but after preparing for the math section of the SAT, she got a high enough score to earn a percentage of bright futures and will now be going into college this fall! We were incredibly proud of her because it was clear to all of us early on that the biggest obstacle was her lack of confidence not her ability, so it was great to see her start believing in herself and what she was able to achieve as a result.
