1. Our favorite “aha!” moment with a student.
A: We recently had a student who was struggling with adding and subtracting positive and negative integers. It was her second time working through the concept, and she had missed over half the problems on the page. An instructor worked with her, showing her how she could use a numberline to help her visualize the problems and let her get back to work. Not only did she correct all the problems on the first try, but the next two times she worked on the concept she got all of the problems right!
2. A time when a student earned a reward.
A: We had a student work really hard for over a year to earn a reward. Everybody, even other students, were excited for him. It was encouraging to everyone to see how his hard work paid off. A few months later, the same student started saving reward points so that he could buy his sibling a Christmas present. It was very heartwarming.
3. Positive parent experience.
A: We recently had a parent conference where a parent expressed their gratitude for Mathnasium. They came to Mathnasium as a struggling student but after a year of working with us, her 7th grade teacher said she is now in the top of her class. It was so encouraging!
4. Favorite ways to teach concepts.
A: I really love using a number line when teaching students how to add and subtract positive and negative integers. So often, students struggle the first time they encounter the concept, especially when they are subtracting a negative number from a negative number. Using a number line and focusing on the question of how far apart are these numbers can really help students begin to understand the concept.
5. A time when a student scored well on a test.
A: A few weeks ago, a student came in brimming. As I checked her, she told me she had exciting news to share. She had taken her first test since she started at Mathnasium and had gotten her first A on the test. She was so excited and so confident. It was really encouraging to see how she had grown!
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