A continuing series by former teacher and current FIM Implementation Specialist Shawn Collier
Like many parents with school-aged children I was in the middle of a busy day, having taken time off during work hours to pick up my son at school and bring him to a dentist appointment.
As we were leaving the dental office, I noticed a boy who looked to be in 5th grade or so in the waiting room with his mom. The boy had obviously just left school, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was wearing a First In Math Player of the Day badge and lanyard!
FIM Player of the Day badges and other incentives are a great way to recognize academic achievement.
I stopped and congratulated the boy, and told his mother how great it was that her son had earned Player of the Day status. Her face simply lit up. She didn't say much other than thank you, but the look on her face was pure pride. Long after I was gone, I'm sure it continued to be a topic of conversation between the dentist—whose children attend catholic school in Bethlehem, PA and are big supporters of FIM—and her staff, as well as the mother and son.
This is just one of the ways the First In Math Online Program can transcend math stereotypes.
Every time I travel to a new school I am excited to help their teachers implement the program because I believe that our content CANNOT be beat, but the math we offer is just the tip of the iceberg. We also offer students a chance to feel proud of themselves. We offer parents a chance to feel proud of their children and celebrate them—even show them off—for academic achievements. We offer the public the opportunity to recognize these children and parents, as well.
Recognition leads to more pride and confidence among students, and allows them to see themselves as capable learners who are able to achieve anything they put their mind to. That is a BIG DEAL to the average kid in a classroom.
I have recently started working on my thesis, and reading a lot of educational research regarding students’ math abilities and the perception of themselves has been very insightful. Self-belief is one of the greatest factors in a student’s ability to be able to achieve academically. Much time is spent talking about math curriculum, which is important, but if you cannot affect the attitude, you cannot fully affect the child.
Ultimately, as teachers we can affect attitudes. We can give students reasons to smile in math class. We can allow kids to feel pride in themselves.
Hats off to the teacher who gave that little boy a Player of the Day badge—and to all of you caring math teachers out there. Thank you for what you do. It truly makes a difference.