My Teaching Validated

The most enjoyable part of this week was when I got to help one of the girls in the math class on something she did not understand.  The day of a test she stayed in with me instead of going to gym and we identified the problems she was having and I made a few practice problems for her.  I showed her some steps to take with that particular type of problem and showed her a little trick to remember what to do at the end.  After about 5 practice problems she seemed to have it down pretty well.  After lunch we had math and sure enough, problem #11 was exactly like the problems we had practiced.  I didn’t see the test before helping her so it was exciting and nerve wrecking when I saw a similar problem.  I watched her work through the problem with such diligence.  While giving the test, #11 was a very tricky problem for the class.  We had to explain it a few times and let the students give it their best shot.  But the girl I worked with didn’t need extra time or explaining.  As she was finishing the problem and double-checking her answer I saw her do a little fist pump to herself and say “yesssss!” quietly.  It was obvious she had gotten the right answer and she was so happy about it.  (This student doesn’t particularly enjoy math and this past week she has been coming to the back table to work with me and get help).  This was such an exciting moment to see that she understood the problem, was proud of herself, and to know that what I was teaching her was working and I had gotten through to her when it hadn’t for before.