Thread: Future Elementary Teacher... Can I have some tips please?

Originally Posted by Jenn302

Hi
I am a sophomore in college and I am going to be teaching Kindergarten or 1st grade. I am absolutely terrified of teaching math to them. Yes I know it is simple, but I myself struggled with math throughout my whole education career. I am just afraid I am going to struggle teaching it as well... Any advice???

The best way to get rid of your fear is to learn more math. The more you know the more comfortable you will be at teaching it.

Originally Posted by Jenn302

Hi
I am a sophomore in college and I am going to be teaching Kindergarten or 1st grade. I am absolutely terrified of teaching math to them. Yes I know it is simple, but I myself struggled with math throughout my whole education career. I am just afraid I am going to struggle teaching it as well... Any advice???

Hello Jenn,
It seems that no doubt you've mastered math at the level you'll be teaching or you wouldn't be in the university. At the same time, an observation. The best 'teachers' in subjects are not necessarily those who rapidly mastered that subject. I think this is more common indeed in math, as those that were able to master it nearly immediately, had come up 'with a way' of looking at and understanding the concepts. The rest of us had to keep at it, looking for new ways of addressing the problem. In the course of such experimentation, a lot of 'ways' are explored.

When you have a little person that doesn't get it the first time, second, or third time, you will probably be able to find new ways for them to look at it. I think that's more difficult than one who 'sees' the answer as obvious.

Don't fret the math, enjoy school and observation time. Just remember why you chose the field and good luck.

Practice makes perfect. It might sound silly, but practice your lessons at home. Talk out the math problems to yourself. I also recommend going to first grade classes and observing math instruction.

Learn the students' names before they even get to class. The sooner you can call them by name, the sooner you can gain their trust and establish yourself as the authority figure in the classroom. A simple seating chart and name tags are vital. I found that photocopying their photograph and memorizing the face and name before they even got to class paid off many times over.

I'm sure you will be doing an internship or student teaching before you graduate. At least I hope they still do that. Learn all you can from your mentor teacher and visit other classrooms to see how those teachers handle math. I'm sure you'll pick up some good tips. Don't dread it. Just do it.