A child in your class says, "I hate math! I'm not good at math, and I never will be!" What experiences do you think this child has had in his/her life that contributes to this child's feelings about his or herself, math, and his or her relationship to math?
I think there are many students who do not like math and some who even hate it. I think math can be difficult for students to understand and may seem less interesting to them than learning about, for example, frogs in a science class. I think part of the teacher's responsibility is to make math fun for the students. Granted it may not be fun all the time, but there are bingo math games that could be played in class and other online math games that can be utilized in class. In my geometry class, we made 3-D geometric shapes out of paper and decorated them with fabric so that they could be Christmas tree ornaments. We still put those on our tree every year. If math is fun for the students, they may not dislike it as much. I also think it is important for teachers to make math applicable to every-day life. Many times students think "I'll never use this....that's what calculators are for....etc." Providing students with real-life math problems and giving them examples of people who use math every day in their occupation will make it more important for the students.
For a student to say "I'm not good at math, and I never will be!" probably means that math is a more difficult subject for them. I think it is important for teachers to teach math in a variety of ways to reach all types of learners. Sometimes another student can explain something better to their friend than the teacher can. I think opportunities for students to talk with each other and help each other figure math out should be provided in class.
It is also likely that a student has had a teacher or parent who told them they are not good at math. In my opinion, a teacher should NEVER tell a student they are not good at something. In my pre-calculus class in high school, the teacher made me cry one day. In school I liked math and considered myself to be good at it. I was asking the teacher a question about something she had previously gone over because I was still confused. She reprimanded me in front of the class and said something along the lines of "Well SOMEONE wasn't listening when I went over this before so I have to do it again!" It was always frustrating for me when I did not understand something in math, and for the teacher to call me out like that when I was just trying to better understand something, made the situation 1000 times worse for me. I think it is so important for teachers to stress that there are "no stupid questions!" especially in a math class. One of my all-time favorite teachers was my Algebra II teacher. She always said that there were no stupid questions and did not get upset when people asked questions. She was available before and after school to help students with their math if they needed help. She could also tell if her students were not understanding the material. I hope to be able to teach math in my classroom the way this math teacher did for me.
I think that a really great teacher can help a student change his/her perspective on math. It is important for it to be fun at times, and for the teacher to be sympathetic if students are having a hard time explaining math. Providing additional help and tutoring for the students who need it can change their attitude about math teachers and math itself.
