Elementary algebra

things - didn't know how to simplify algebraic fractions, couldn't identify different kinds of clauses, bungled Spanish translations - but that I had developed various faulty and inadequate ways of doing algebra and making sense of Spanish. Worse yet, the years of defensive tuning out in elementary school had given me a way to escape quickly while seeming at least half alert. During my time in Voc. Ed., I developed further into a mediocre student and a somnambulant problem solver, and that…

Holmes Elementary was a Black school, which helped me transition into Brownsville, a predominately Black school. One hundred and one students from several places received the invitation to participate in the Brownsville Middle School Magnet program. Of course, I did not get an invitation. I was thrust into that station with good reason and a glad heart. Thanks to Mrs. Rivers, I would have a chance at a normal life free of bullying, right? I had the time of my life for the semester that I went to…

a mathematician, you must be weary of the pitfalls that can result from being too confident in your solutions. One example of how I let my ego get the best of me as a mathematician was in the 4th grade when I decided to leave the accelerated Pre-Algebra course I was invited to attend. I left before the end of the school year simply because my friends had decided to leave and I was complacent with my mathematical skills at the time. This is a decision that I now greatly regret now that I no…

placed me in a class with people ranging in ages from 17 to well over 50 years of age. The instructor who I will call Mr. Snow was totally engaged with his class. During break we spoke and he actually teaches fourth grade during the day at one of the elementary schools in Hall County, and works Tuesday and Thursday nights at Wood’s Mill. He spoke with me about entering the teaching profession,…

One of Guido’s ploys to see Dora turns into him lecturing several elementary school students, including teachers, upon the superiority of the Italian race. The principal of the school expresses her pride at Guido’s appearance as the Inspector from Rome to explain the superiority of the Italian race, backed by scientific…

The first thing that really stood out for me when we began reading our course books was that lesson study begins with one lesson (Wang-Iverson, 2005). The teachers at Tsuta Elementary School in Hiroshima Japan took two years to complete their jugyokenkyu (Fernandez, 2004). In America, in my school district for sure, I do not think that the Tsuta time frame would go over well with our school boards and their need to see immediate…

Self-efficacy has three dimensions: magnitude, the difficulty level of the task a person believes to attain; strength, the conviction regarding magnitude as strong or weak; and generality, the degree to which the expectation is generalized across situations (Redmond, 2016). Studies show the predictive and mediational role of self-efficacy beliefs in performing mathematical tasks successfully (Dullas, 2010; Galla & Wood, 2012; Guolao, 2014; Liu & Koirala, 2009; Pajares & Miller, 1994; Zimmerman,…

Children remember many teachers who stood out as monsters in the educational world. On the other hand, a few teachers became memorable in the eyes of their students because of their dedication and involvement. These teachers achieved their goal of having students enjoy their class while maintaining a proper school education. Involved teachers who portray professionalism and allow student-teacher relationships entice students to openly participate in class. Preschool is usually when children…

American students around the country will at the third grade begin taking the standardized tests. From there, the tests get more complex and add more fields. As students, we are being forced to be in common core classes that supposedly help with these exams. However, they seem to be a waste of our time and the time of our teachers as test scores begin to decrease year after year. Although they claim that standardized testing is helping students, they in end waste time, cause stress and are…

In the past education was considered a great equalizer, being able to lift the poor from poverty and allowing them to have a better economic future. The access to education in the past was easier. Today the less fortunate have a harder time acquiring an education. People are told that if they are well educated, they will have a bright future and succeed in their lives. The main reason why people attend college is not just to gain knowledge but to make money. The children from rich families tend…