From Fearful to Fearless

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From Fearful to Fearless

  • April 20, 2022
  • Posted by: Caitlin McCallum
  • Category: Wow Story
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Math has a reputation for being the subject students either love or hate. It’s not uncommon to have students tell you that they hate math class because the work is just too difficult for them to understand. This year I started working with a student who struggled in math. She felt so lost in what was being taught in her general education math class, that she not only hated math, but she was fearful of the subject. My goal was to boost her self-confidence and help her to become successful in learning the math concepts.

She joined another student who I already had been working with in her class. They would work with me after the lesson was taught by their math teacher. We would go over the lesson and work on the new math concept they just learned. I was able to re-teach the concept in a different way that could be broken down into steps and use tricks to help them understand the concept. We world then work on their daily homework.

It took a few weeks for her to feel comfortable with the other students. She was very quiet, but very observant. Gradually she started asking questions and felt comfortable enough to the share her work with others.

I have been working with her for four months now and am pleased to see the difference in her self-confidence. The once sullen, fearful student who hated math is now full of smiles and excitement every time he understands a concept and successfully completes her math problems. The first time she got a problem correct with no help, her face lit up and she screeched with joy! I think she surprised herself that it was possible! It was such a blessing to witness.

This is the reason I went into teaching. There is noting more satisfying than watching a struggling student find confidence in themselves and know that they are capable of ding things that might have seemed impossible. The smiles continue, her math grade has improved, and she is now helping other students when they are struggling!

~written by JoAnn Burke, LSEM Teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Monroe, MI