Class Focus
The interesting thing about math is that once you've learned a particular topic, I can almost guarantee you that it will never go away and will be back to visit you the next year and the year after that. I can see some of you having an "aha" moment, "So, that is why I have to keep doing those darn fractions!"
Knowing that the topics that I teach you in the 7th grade are going to show up in the 8th grade, my job is to make sure that you have a firm foundation in the 7th grade benchmarks before you move on to the 8th grade.
Let's think about this in terms of building a car:
Elementary School - is where you are starting to build the parts individually that will make up your car. You must work on each of these "parts" until they can 100% work individually on their own.
Middle School - now that you have all your individual parts made, it is time to start putting them together. The car will be using little bits from each piece you have constructed previously. As these pieces get put together, they are going to be used in a more complicated manner and more than one part might be running at once.
High School - moving onto the fun stuff, it is time to test drive. Will your car run if it has incomplete parts? No. Will your car run if a part is confused about what it is suppose to do? No. If your car runs into these problems, it is time to go back and do some fine-tuning work. Want to spruce up your car a bit? That spoiler is like your trigonometry course. That new exhaust system is like Calculus.
College - You are on the road and moving. Maybe you hear a cross-country trip callinging in your future. Just remember that every 3000 miles your car needs to go back and get it's oil changed. That new oil is important, because as a car always needs a refreshing with some new oil to keep things running smoothly, we are always able to learn something new in math and need constant practice to maintain our skills and knowledge.
Let's work together so that in the future you can have a well running car that will last you a lifetime . . . or I guess I should say at least 150,000 miles!
Knowing that the topics that I teach you in the 7th grade are going to show up in the 8th grade, my job is to make sure that you have a firm foundation in the 7th grade benchmarks before you move on to the 8th grade.
Let's think about this in terms of building a car:
Elementary School - is where you are starting to build the parts individually that will make up your car. You must work on each of these "parts" until they can 100% work individually on their own.
Middle School - now that you have all your individual parts made, it is time to start putting them together. The car will be using little bits from each piece you have constructed previously. As these pieces get put together, they are going to be used in a more complicated manner and more than one part might be running at once.
High School - moving onto the fun stuff, it is time to test drive. Will your car run if it has incomplete parts? No. Will your car run if a part is confused about what it is suppose to do? No. If your car runs into these problems, it is time to go back and do some fine-tuning work. Want to spruce up your car a bit? That spoiler is like your trigonometry course. That new exhaust system is like Calculus.
College - You are on the road and moving. Maybe you hear a cross-country trip callinging in your future. Just remember that every 3000 miles your car needs to go back and get it's oil changed. That new oil is important, because as a car always needs a refreshing with some new oil to keep things running smoothly, we are always able to learn something new in math and need constant practice to maintain our skills and knowledge.
Let's work together so that in the future you can have a well running car that will last you a lifetime . . . or I guess I should say at least 150,000 miles!
