Catchin’ Wreck
Big Pun
No, no, no. I don’t want to hear that you can’t do the math. Unless you have some actual, vetted proof that you have a serious case of dyscalculia, I just won’t hear that you can’t do the math. Wherever their level, whatever their stance in life, wherever they land on the math knowledge spectrum, I have to have the belief that they can do the math at a high level.
This mentality probably started right around the fifth time I heard the whining and bickering by teachers in a professional development. First, I wondered where, under the word “professional development,” it was decided that these places had long couches and clipboards available for the rest of us to hear the kvetching about nonsense. Secondly, I can’t imagine that a student, once nudged in the right direction, won’t be able to at least glean some of the material I’m teaching.
Third, and most importantly, negativity is a disease without a vaccine. It’s one thing to look at a student’s