Moving Slowly

Student - "I just hate math."

     Rachel – "Why do you feel that way?"

Student – "I just don’t like it. It’s hard."

     Rachel – "It’s hard…"

Student – "I’m really slow at it."

     Rachel – "Oh, you’re slow at it. Did you know that being slow at something doesn’t mean you’re bad at it?"


This is an excerpt from a conversation I had with a student last week. It's serving as an artifact for my Term V project. What do I mean by artifact? Here's what my assignment description says:

The artifacts are an integral part of your presentation. They are the evidence on which your case (your argument) is built. Examples of artifacts you might use include: student work, lesson plans, journal or blog entries, field notes, excerpts from course papers, meaningful photographs, transcripts of conversations, very brief audio/video clips and notes from meetings or lectures.

In my Term V assignment, I'm trying to argue that when teaching students, it is important to 1) give them tasks that are authentic and meaningful, 2) differentiate instruction to provide students multiple avenues to access the information, and 3) emphasize a growth mindset so that all students can feel successful. 

Phew. Just writing that took me about five minutes. I'm having a really hard time working on my Term V assignment. I'm not sure if it's because I have no idea what I'm doing or because I have a serious case of cabin fever. Either way, I'm moving slowly and getting frustrated with myself.

It's ironic that I was able to counsel a student on her feelings about being slow at math, when I'm in a similar situation now. If I could take my own advice, I would acknowledge that yes, I am working slowly, but that doesn't necessarily mean I am doing a bad job.

Okay, so I guess I can get back to work now!