1. Our favorite “aha!” moment with a student.
A: We had a student who had been working on a Workout Book page and the page cover titled ""Out of..."" and they weren't quite grasping the phrasing of "Out of" when working with fractions. Working with the student through the concept and how equivalent fractions work, using 2/4 and 1/2 as an example helped the student understand equivalent fractions better, and even how to make use of multiplying the top and bottom of a fraction by the same number to help them algebraically.
2. A time when a student earned a reward.
A: Recently, we had a student who was able to get one of our bigger prizes. We had a big plush pineapple pillow that stood out on top of our prize wall. Its color and size made it a very prominent and sought-after reward worth a total of 45 cards. I'll miss it watching over our waiting area but it made me very happy that a student was able to work hard enough to earn such a big reward.
3. Positive parent experience.
A: Recently, I was scheduling a parent teacher conference with a student to go over the results of a recent assessment we did with the student. There is a bit of a language barrier with the parent but in the reply from the parent was the message "Thank you for helping [student name]." Although it was just a short simple message, it really touched me in its meaning, and made me think back to the support we've been providing the student. Helped serve as another reminder as to the main goal of working with students, to help them with their math struggles so that math can no longer be a struggle.
4. Favorite ways to teach concepts.
A: One of my favorite ways to teach fraction size comparison is to make use of fraction pieces. It makes it very easy to see visually how different fractions compare with each other, and the students love having the manipulatives to move around and try different fraction comparisons.
5. A time when a student scored well on a test.
A: A student recently brought in a test that they had working with decimal places and rounding. Remembering what the different digits were named had been an ongoing struggle for the student but to see them get an A+ on the test was great, and I'm so happy at the progress the student has made.
