sol18 #1: I can't teach math higher than 3rd grade, except when...

I had to sub in a fifth grade classroom the other day, and whenever I am in a classroom, I always get reeeeaaallly nervous when it's time for math. I'm terrible at math, other than basic computation, some fractions, and simple story problems, therefore teaching anything higher than a 3rd grade level in math is challenging for me.

I prefaced the lesson with, "Ok friends, the highest grade I've ever taught was 2nd grade, so my knowledge of 5th grade math is a little rusty. Be patient with me."

The kids gave me a "Sure, whatever" look and began their practice problems.

I began circling the room, asking pairs of students how they were doing and if anyone needed help. So far, so good. Five minutes passed, everyone's still working fabulously and moving along. Ten minutes passed, same thing.

Around 15 minutes into the lesson, students began raising their hands about needing some support with this problem, "5/6 of the letters in the group are vowels. What letters can comprise the whole group?"

Yessss, I thought to myself. This is a problem I can solve (partly because it's fractions, and partly because it is literacy-related).

Since this question was becoming a common issue, I realized that I needed to address this to the whole group.

There I stood, at the front of the room, confidently supporting students to come up with a solution to this question. Phew.

After that, the students continued working quietly with their partners, no one needed any more major support, and one girl whispered to me, "See, Mrs. Jantz, you can teach math."