Today was my last day in Extending Children’s Mathematics in Grades 3-6 Year 2 workshop. I have learned so much about how to teach math. The more I learn, the more I know I need to learn. In the field of teaching you never arrive or have all the answers! You do the best you can with the knowledge you have at the time. Then you continue to learn! I have learned so much about how to push students’ thinking and how to really look at how they are solving problems. In the past math was either right or wrong, but now teachers are being trained on how to analyze students’ thinking. How exciting is this! Change isn’t always easy, but it is very rewarding!
My journey as a teacher has made me realize that there will always be new ways of teaching, new standards, and different types of learners, but that is what makes teaching so much fun! There is never a day that is the same! I know how only the bad things about Common Core get published and shared, but I for one am glad that someone has taught me that I should stop, slow down, and ask children important questions about their math work! Students should be able to discuss how they solved their problems and understand how their peers’ work is similar or different to their own. Teachers should always strive to understand what students are thinking when they are solving math problems. Students should be taught for mathematical understanding! (And teachers too!)