ABSTRACT
I’ve been teaching for more than 20 years. But about nine years ago, when I first started doing math consulting, I was reminded of some very important things. I was coaching a new teacher of a fifth-grade class in the South Bronx. One girl was being extraordinarily rowdy and disruptive, so I pulled her out of class. As soon as we got outside the room, she propped herself up against the wall and proclaimed how much she hated math. Unsurprised, I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She quickly said she wanted to be a singer. I said that that was fantastic but that she would absolutely need to know some math to do that. She looked at me quizzically and said, “Never. I’ll hire people.” I said, “But you need to know for yourself how much money they owe you. What percentage you’ll get from selling so many records.” She retorted smugly, “I’ll hire people.” I insisted, “They steal. Don’t you watch MTV and VH1? All kinds of singers get their money stolen by the people they hire.” She smiled and responded, “I’ll get the police to get them.” I lowered my voice and whispered, “They go to Brazil. Nobody catches them in Brazil.” She looked appalled. I frowned at her and emphasized that she might want to learn some math for her career’s sake. She finally agreed that it might be a good idea. Then she confessed, “Don’t you tell anyone-I don’t know how to multiply.” Here we were doing 34 × 456 and she didn’t even know what 3 × 4 was. Then I remembered that students act up when they don’t understand. It’s easier that way. If they succeed in getting kicked out of class, then they don’t have to do the work that they can’t do. So I looked at her, deep into her soul, and I promised her that I would teach her how to multiply. That year, I pulled several small guided math groups and taught her and her buddies how to multiply, from the beginning. It was a watershed for all of us. I realized more than ever that teachers have to meet students exactly where they are and take them where they need to be. Those students finally realized they could learn math. It was a win-win.
