You CAN do math.

In this blog, I am going to be reflecting on chapter one of Jo Boaler's textbook, "Mathematical mindsets." Her purpose in this book is to unleash student's potential through creative math, inspiring messages and innovative teaching. 
I am going to be completely honest with you. Growing up, I was good at math. I don't know if I just got lucky with good teachers, or if my mind was "made" to do math, or what, I just wasn't sure. Through elementary school, I kept up well, catching on pretty quick to most math concepts, and succeeding in showing what I knew to my teachers. Throughout middle school was similar and when I got to high school, something was different. It got harder for me, I wasn't sure if it was the content, or the teaching of the certain concept, or if other students were just understanding it better and faster than I was, but I felt belittled by it all. It may have been that I always did so well without trying that much, and then as I got older math starting to become my effort-filled subject form day to day. 

Then my senior year I enrolled in AP Calculus 1. 
That was probably the hardest class I had taken throughout all of high school. Before that class I thought that with effort, I would always do well in math, but that class proved me wrong. I put my all into the first test, and got a 94% on it, not bad, right? WELL, the second test I got a little too confident and came out with a 51%, that was like a stab in the gut. I  thought I was supposed to be good at math? It felt like I knew what I was doing, but I guess not. 

I didn't let that second test score discourage me throughout the rest of the year. It made me want to push myself harder, and get the grade that I thought I deserved. 
I believe that all students should have this type of mindset when it comes to mathematics. They should not walk into math class, and immediately think, "I can't do this." As teachers our job is to positively encourage students to do well and always try the best that they very can. And that is all that we can ask from them. No student should every be considered "unable" to do well in mathematics. This may be because some teachers doubt their own math skills, and as teachers if we go into teaching with a negative attitude, our own students will pick up on those comments, and come to the conclusion that they are unable to do math too. 

I believe that growth mindset is an important aspect in a child's education. They need to be able to understand that they are capable of growing in their knowledge and obtaining anything that they put their mind's too. I believe that mathematics can sometimes discourage students because they get frustrated and such, but as teachers we need to be able to explain to them that growth is obtainable for everyone in every subject. 

"Students may be unready for some mathematics because they still need to learn some foundational, prerequisite mathematics they have not yet learned, but not because their brain cannot develop those connections because of their age or maturity. When students need new connections, they learn them." -Jo Boaler