Get To Know The Staff - Mrs. Neal

My fellow readers, you are witnessing (reading) history right here - my first Blog!  When asked to write this, my first thought was, why would anyone want to read the ramblings of a math teacher?  What could I possibly have to say? Who would want to listen/read it?

Well, first let’s get one thing straight, I do numbers, not letters as I tell my students all of the time - thank goodness for spell check.  I will apologize right up front for the lack of eloquent writing, that gene went to my younger sister, but do enjoy writing in a non-formal way.

As I began to contemplate my theme and delivery, I asked myself what I would want to take time out of my crazy busy day to read, something upbeat and maybe a little funny or something serious and dry.  (I opted for the first option if you can’t tell yet).  I’ve always felt that humor makes things flow a little nicer and the day a little brighter.  You must be able to laugh at things in life, and sometimes that means laughing at yourself.

Which brings me to my theme…math and humor.  Now, I know for most of your children, these two words don’t show up in the same sentence.  For most, the words are math and tears,  or math and anger, or math and frustration.  Which is precisely why I add as much humor to my classes as possible.  Developing a report with the students is always my priority which then lends itself to being able to joke with them and make them smile.  In a classroom setting for a subject that for many is intimidating, it is helpful if the teacher is not intimidating too.

I am, unfortunately, experiencing this first hand with my own child’s math teacher who when we met last week to discuss his difficulties in her class, looked like she has eaten a lemon before our arrival.  (I know, a math teacher’s child is having trouble in math - we can talk about that later) The thought that he has to walk into this classroom every day, into a subject that he actually used to like, just breaks my heart!  She is killing this subject for more than just him, I’m sure.

So, it has always been my pledge to make math fun and meeting with this teacher last week made that drive even stronger. I knew from a very early age I wanted to be a math teacher, and my passion for the subject is something I have always wanted to share.  To transform a student from a math-hater to a math-lover is always my goal.  So, how do I accomplish this?

For some of your children, math comes easy to them, so I have very little work to do “on them.”  For those children who would rather have a root canal than sit in a math class, I have my work cut out for me.  Those are the children who have my heart - the root canal kids!   Know that this is a process for those students and there is usually some negative aspect of math that I have to undo.  Finding humor in some of the smallest ways - usually a movie quote “you’re killing me Smalls,” can bring a smile to their face and hopefully less anxiety in a subject that has historically been a root canal situation for them.  Oh, to never have a root canal again - that is my goal for them!