Schoolwide News
Welcome back from the holidays, everyone! I had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends, and now I’m truly excited to be back in the swing of things! As I worked with a group of fifth graders this morning (I'm writing this on Wednesday afternoon, the first day back in classes), there were complaints that their brains weren’t working. They were slow to understand the math presented in the problem, and they told me they were having trouble choosing the operation they wanted to use to solve it. Their frustration and anxiety grew. “Be patient with yourselves,” I reassured them, “it will come back to you.” And it did. By the end of the lesson, they were discussing the problems we were working on and sharing ideas and strategies.
This phenomenon is known as the “math slide,” when skills and knowledge are metaphorically further back in the brain and not necessarily easy to grab hold of when called upon. It's identified by difficulty recalling previously mastered math concepts, increased frustration when attempting problems, slower problem-solving speed, and decreased confidence in their answers to a problem.
I have good news, however: the math slide phenomenon is temporary! In a few days, your children will feel back on track and most likely won't even remember their math struggles this week. The struggle is also a necessary part of learning. It's important for us as teachers and parents to be kind and supportive, and it's also important to let students experience the feeling of not understanding, giving them the agency to work back into their routine with some level of independence.
As adults, we all know the feeling of having to use something buried deep in our brains, and by now, we're used to it. However, students at EAB have fewer experiences with math slides and may not remember that this happens every time they take an extended break from thinking mathematically. Usually, it doesn't take much for a child to reach into the back of their brain and pull their math brain forward, but a lack of confidence may extend the time they feel lost.
If you notice that your child is having a particularly hard time adjusting back to school routines, encouragement and support are always helpful. Don't be afraid to talk to your child's teachers and let them know what's going on. By working together, we will help our students set themselves up for a successful second semester at EAB.