School Grades Can No Longer Reflect Children’s Math Skills
Every student can get good grades in math, but not every student can master it. I know this for a fact because I used to be a math teacher who focused mainly on coaching students to win competitions. Now I’m also a math instructor for Harmony Plus’s middle school and high school students.
Many parents are curious about their children’s math skills and often ask me where their child stands in class. Some of them assumed I only taught students with exceptional math abilities, but in reality, I’ve taught students all across the spectrum in terms of math abilities. For instance, I’ve taught students who struggled to simplify 5/120 and I’ve taught those who were studying Fermat’s Little Theorem and scored nearly full marks on AMC 8. With the right teaching strategies, I’ve helped students struggling in math to excel in the subject and I’ve worked with students gifted in math to reach an even higher level.
Grades Must Reflect Mastery, Not Just Effort
Those students I mentioned earlier (the one who struggled to simplify 5/120 and the one who earned nearly full marks on AMC 8) were both in fifth grade. What’s interesting and frightening at the same time is that these two students received As in math class at school. This is proof that school grades can no longer reflect children’s mathematical skills…
