Friday 18 July 2003

What is it I used to do in my classroom that made so many students say I was their favorite teacher? I suppose there was a combination of factors happening there.

First off, I know there are a lot of people that dread math. I used to do my best to keep them from being afraid to enter my class... from telling jokes to playing music at the start of class. (I was told by a student I was the only teacher in the school who knew who Blink 182 is.) From the moment a student walked into my class I tried to make him or her feel comfortable. Desks were arranged in a U-shape, two rows. For me, it was easier to see how everyone was doing on a problem by walking between the rows glancing at both sides, and by the time I made it around the room I was back to the blackboard to demonstrate things I saw. For students, it gave them easy access to their friends and I encouraged them to help each other on problems. (Desks were moved back to familiar rows and columns on test days only.)

Second, homework was assigned every day, but only checked once a week. This gave students the chance to make corrections to their homework and get a 100% average. The students who did the best in my classes, of course, were the ones who kept up with their work every day... the ones who did the worst did a week's worth of homework the night before it was due.

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