All We Need is to Believe

I have been privileged to travel to 3 schools this year to teach gifted students. Two of those schools are Title 1 schools and have a high population of bilingual students. I decided to do Perennial Math with them and it has been a true journey. At first they rebelled and complained that this was too hard. The first test almost everyone in the class received zeros. My total class score for the first test was four points. However, with each test we saw improvements. By the fourth test all of my students were getting problems correct and one of my students even made a perfect score. Now, this is no trivial event. If you see the tests, they are loaded with higher level thinking, algebra and skills that students are not expected to master until 8th grade. So here are 5th grade students who live in a high poverty area that can do work that is 3 years beyond their grade level. So, I'm here to say, you get what you expect. I did not succumb to their whining and quit teaching. I have slowly promised them that they would see the fruits of their labor. Now, they are so confident, and very excited about their skills. This same event happened at the second school I taught at with my 3rd grade students. By the last test, all students mastered some of the questions. This is a major event!!! I look forward to finding ways to share the program across our great nation. There is no reason for America to be ranked so low in Mathematics. We need to teach our kids like they are smart! All the students are loving the Wall of Fame-and even if they aren't on it, they like to see then names of their classmates.

I'm also excited about the Virtual Tournaments that my students have participated in. What a concept! They have really enjoyed the online tournaments and seeing their opponents via webcam. So they don't have to travel to compete in a math tournament.

Speaking of tournaments, I had the pleasure of hosting the first annual Perennial Math Tournament at The Weiss School in Palm Beach, Florida. I had Karen Kopfinger accompany me on the trip and we had a great turn out for the tournament and hope to go back again next year. What a beautiful area.