Many of the students love math. They can come in afraid at the beginning of the year; but by the end, they discover that they have something to say, and they can learn. They learn that their biggest obstacle and champion is themselves.
We are a neighborhood school with a large population of almost 1500 students.
The kids do not come from affluent families, but the parents try to support them on weekend competitions. I teach 6th through 8th math. Some students are truly gifted, and I try to give them the opportunity to advance in math, regardless of grade level but ability. Many of them grew up in the community and will live the rest of their lives in the community. Many of the former students come back to visit because the school is their second home. When they are competing with selective schools and private schools, they see a larger world that they can be involved in through their education. I started with taking less than ten kids to the competitions. Last year, sixty-four went to the last contest.
My Project
In the past, we went to any and every outside competition that we were invited to. We were a mishmash of everything kids wore on the weekends. The students could not help but notice the other schools and their unity in wearing a group shirt. They have a school uniform, but it is not the same thing. I chose some fun math t-shirts.
A group t-shirt will help the students with a sense of community and pride when going to competitions and other math events.
We have won a few competitions, and you can literally see the shock and awe in his or her face when it is his or her name being called to the stage. Some of them have not yet realized that they are that smart.
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