Today was another math day. I found myself at a table with six fourth grade girls who all seemed to be in the same friend group. They were collectively working on two pages of math homework but were all stuck on how to begin. They seemed embarrassed to ask for help, which made me think that collectively they would not ask for help at all. I was quite unsure as to why they would not, but it was very entertaining to watch them sort out who would be the student to ask me for assistance. I believe they thought I was a teacher, but a teacher they were not comfortable with yet who worked the after-school program.
What was most interesting was that they immediately felt comfortable to ask,, after discovering that they needed help, even after deciding who should be the one to ask. For someone that young, it is an incredibly useful tool to have as a student, especially because it is important as they become older students, and can be used all throughout life.
After reviewing the decimal system, the students had finished all their work and began to play “HedBanz”, which was very entertaining to watch because they describe objects differently as a child than an adult would.