For our students to reach their highest potential and achieve the most amount of success, it is going to take all three parties - students, parents, and me - to make a successful year in math.
Student Expectations
Complete practice assignments each night AND check your answers on the blog. The best way to learn math is to actually DO the math. It is better to spend 20-30 minutes each night practicing math than 3 hours of cramming the night before. You don't have to do practice assignments, you GET TO do them!
Bring a positive attitude and open mind for learning math. I am not the only person you will be learning from - you are going to learn quite a bit through working in groups and completing exploration activities. The more open you are to learning in different ways, the more you will learn!
Fully engage with the lesson and activities each day - If all you do is copy stuff down from the board or your neighbor, you won't get very far.
It's OKAY to make mistakes - your brain grows the most when you make mistakes and then FIX them (the most important part to learning is FIXING mistakes).
Be accountable for your learning - I don't want to hear excuses. View your setbacks and failures as opportunities for future growth.
Ask questions when confused and come in for extra help when needed. Start this AS SOON AS you start to struggle.
When absent, get the notes off the blog and missed assignments from the bin prior to coming in for help. It is amazing how much you might understand if you transfer the lesson notes into your note packets and attempt the practice assignments using the resources on the blog.
If you have questions, concerns, issues, needs, etc, you are old enough to communicate them to me, whether through email or in person. I expect to hear from you first before hearing from your parents.
Parent Expectations
Check Infinite Campus at least once a week - it is our fastest way of communicating to you about your child's progress.
Remind them that they can be successful in math - it might just take a little (or a lot) more time and practice to get there.
Check to ensure they are completing their practice - one of the biggest predictors of success is a student's completion of practice assignments and studying for assessments.
Encourage your child to communicate with me first before reaching out - at the high school level, we want them to start advocating for themselves and their learning. They can communicate via email, in person, or through Remind.
Teacher Expectations
I will maintain a positive learning environment where students can ask questions, get feedback, and receive encouragement to support their mastery of the content..
I will deliver content in a way that is organized, scaffolded for different levels of learning, and hopefully easily understood by my students.
I will communicate to parents using Infinite Campus, weekly update emails, and personal emails.
I will give back assessments back in a timely manner.
I will be available for 2-3 tutoring sessions, before and after school, each week.