Stage 1 Math Reflection

 Here we go again!

As I look back on where I started with my math confidence last year, I cannot believe that I have come to a point where I finally feel like I could actually teach math. Throughout my first practicum experience in my first year of teachers college, I learned a great deal about myself and my abilities.

I used to think that math was something you were either naturally good at, or you weren't good at it at all. Through my practice teaching, I came to realize that is simply not true. Math is something that takes effort, patience and practice. I was placed in a grade 5 classroom and I had to completely re-teach myself every concept that I taught to my students! It was through this that I realized that math is not as scary as it once seemed.

Throughout the next 7 months I look forward to gaining more knowledge about math and ways to make math something that students will look forward to in the classroom, instead of dreading it. Growing up I always look at math as something that was daunting and always had a mindset that I simply wouldn't be good at it, so I put in minimal effort.

As a teacher, this is something that makes me sad, for lack of a better word, for my future students, no child should doubt their abilities before even trying something new. As a goal for this year, I would like to learn some tricks that will make my future students enjoy being in my math class and having it be a safe and successful environment.

I would also like to learn of ways to help reduce the daily planning that I found myself doing last year so I believe that the unit planning portion of this year will be extremely useful. I found myself struggling with my planning and always scrounging to put a lesson together for the following day.

I look forward to spending the next six weeks continuing to find ways to personally become more comfortable with math as well as learning new ways that I can help my students find the same confidence.

Retrieved September 11th 2017 From: Youtube