Scene: Maths room at lunchtime, trying to finish off overdue projects for Year10 Numeracy so that they won't have to do Maths next year. The BA is sitting in the background having finished an exam and caught the train over to my school.
Me: So if she gets $30,000 a year, how much will that be a month?
Year 10 Girl: Ummmmm. I don't know (sweet vacant smile)
Me: Come on, you can do this...what operation do we need to use to find out?
Y10G: (looking desperately at my face for clues) Addition? No. Subtraction?No...division?
Me: Yes, well done (relieved smile from her). Now, what are you going to divide by?
Y10G: ummmmmmmm?
Me: here is a year (indicates with outstretched arms) and the $30,000 is spread all the way over that year. Now I need to cut that up into little month sized pieces. What do I divide by?
Y10G: 4...no? .....5?.....no........I'm not very good with months.......
Later the BA (who had been looking over the girl's head, rolling her eyes at me) shook her head in disbelief.
"Was she putting it on mum? And where did the FIVE come from????"
I dunno BA. Random neuron firing I think. I am so looking forward to my new job next year. Mind you, as I'm still working with Special Needs I am sure I will still have plenty of blog fodder!
Trouble is, the guys I'm working with now are not officially Special Needs.
Sadly.
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10 comments:
If you think they have trouble with maths wait until you find out what they don't know about history!
That's scary.
That is....sad.
Thank goodness for people like you who are even half willing to stick it out. I don't know that I would have the patience!
Hope you are well! I'm still alive but haven't been about a whole lot.
I have dozens of stories like it but I keep forgetting them. I said to one kid the other day...'oh...that is blogworthy' but I can't remember what he did now! it all fades into one....
12! It's 12! Explains why my students can't do simple maths, though.
12 is correct! Go to the top of the class AFM! I blame the teachers.
Well...if she gets it figured out, can she help explain my paycheck to me?!? :-) :-) :-)
I doubt it.
Oh dear.....oh dear.....oh dear....
As I was reading the entry I kept waiting for the punch line. But the joke was on me - there was no punch line. This is a true tale.
So so so sad......
Oh yes - in America the mantra is "blame the teacher!" Sad but true. Parents aren't held accountable, the students sure aren't held accountable.....it MUSt be the teachers' faults!
Just in case my sarcasm wasn't obvious - I do NOT blame the teachers!!
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