Math On The Brain

This week was filled with a lot of math...mostly algebra. It seemed every time I turned a corner, there it was again.

On Monday an 8th grader who was in my room needed help on his algebra. They are starting pretty basic stuff like:

2d - 7d = 16. They get some negatives and fractions, sometimes decimals (that really threw them off), but it's all pretty basic...mostly.

So I did my little teaching lessons and worked with the kid on a few problems until he was getting the hang of it. He said, "I wish you were our teacher. You are better at this than he is." First, no I'm not. Second, I'm working one-on-one w/him, not teaching to 25 kids who are all at different levels of understanding. It's a huge difference, but kids don't get that.

My brain must have really settled on that statement though because I woke up the next morning at 4:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep, my brain churning with how best to teach introductory algebra to the masses! I couldn't turn it off to go back to sleep so ended up getting up and reading to distract myself!

Two more times this week kids said the same thing...wish you were our teacher. But I also got a "I told Mr. Swanke the way you showed me to do these problems and he told me it was wrong even though I got the right answer." WHAT???? Later the kid said, "But he did say there was more than one way to do it."

This sent me straight up to 8th grade to visit w/the teacher. I am happy to help but decided to clarify how he wants it taught. I should probably be doing it his way. Alas, he rolled his eyes (not really at me) and said, in a frustrated tone, "They never listen! The very first thing I told them is that there is more than one way to solve most of these problems!" What? Middle school students don't listen??? Really???

Phew! So I'll keep on doing what I'm doing. I did ask him when he's getting to that pesky f-slope business, because I don't really have a handle on that anymore. He said I've got another chapter to go...dang, I was wishing it would be when I was gone in a couple of weeks!

But wait: there's more math news. I was also helping a 7th grader w/some algebra--he's in an advanced class--and he gave me "THE QUESTION" (insert "Jaws" movie music here). You know, "When are we going to ever use this in real life?" But I was ready for him.

Me: You use it everyday right now.

Him: No, I don't.

Me: Sure. Did you buy a Gatorade out of the machine today?

Him: Yeah, but...

Me: Then you used algebra--in a simplified way. "I have $.30. The bottle costs $1.00. Thus

$.30 + X = $1.00

subtract $.30 from both sides

X = $.70

You need $.70 to buy the Gatorade.

I said it was simplified, but it's true!!! I also admitted to him that I use the whole "fraction to decimal to percent" and "proportion" stuff way more than algebra, but I do still use it, if only in it's simplest form. :)

Which lead to a conversation last night in which BOTH of my kids admitted that they don't really "get" fractions. Okay, I see some summer school fraction work-sheets coming on. They were having none of that.

And finally, though I NEVER thought I'd see the day, the prince was actually schooling me on algebra last night. I was telling him about a problem I was helping a kid on where I had to--and this are my very technical math term--UNdistribute the variable. When I showed him on paper, he told me the "real" term for it that I can't even remember now. Whatever! Like he's a math genius now, all putting me to shame and all! :)

Which reminds me of one more thing, before I get too big for my britches. When I was asking the teacher when he'd be teaching the f-slope stuff and telling him I'd have to brush up on it, he said, "Just have the princess show you. They did that a few weeks ago in her class."

I think NOT!