Dear teacher,
I can remember back to grade school when I was scared to death of math. In high school, I took the minimum number of math classes. And even today, I still avoid doing math as much as possible. My third-grader seems to be falling into the same trap. How can I help her avoid math anxiety?
Dear parent,
Believe it or not, research has now been done at Stanford University on the brain activity patterns of second- and third-graders who were stressed about math. The result found was that their brains showed patterns similar to ones of people with other phobias while they performed math problems. The brains of the panicky children had increased activity in the regions associated with fear, and decreased activity in the regions involved in problem-solving. Now there is actual biological evidence of the existence of math anxiety.
Unfortunately, during the research study, the children with high math anxiety were less accurate and significantly slower at solving math problems than children with low math anxiety. This is important information, as children with math anxiety tend to avoid taking higher level math courses — lessening their opportunity to enter many careers. And adults with life-long math anxiety may find it difficult to understand such things as mortgage rates and credit-card interest.
Knowing that math anxiety is a real phobia gives hope that it may be treatable as with other phobias. One way to help children avoid getting anxiety about math is to make sure that they have a firm understanding of math processes. Your child in third grade is probably involved in multiplication. Make sure that she clearly understands exactly what multiplication does.
Other things that can help reduce your child’s math anxiety include: making sure that she has a strong background in basic skills, having her solve easy math problems to gain confidence in her abilities and helping her learn stress-reduction techniques. Plus, the more comfortable your child becomes with numbers, the less stress she will encounter when dealing with math.
Child wants
only ‘A’ grades
Dear teacher,
My daughter is scared to death of receiving any grade but an “A” in second grade. She thinks that she is a total failure if she does. We don’t think that we have put any emphasis at all on grades. How can we help her get a better attitude toward grades?
Dear parent,
Talk with the teacher about your daughter’s attitude toward grades. Perhaps there could be fewer graded assignments in this classroom. Just being made aware of the severity of this problem could help the teacher think of ways to handle it in the classroom.
At home, talk about the fun things your child does at school and how much she has learned. When your child becomes upset about assignments that are not As, point out how everyone learns from making mistakes.
Is this worry about grades a new problem? If it also was a problem last year, your child could be exhibiting perfectionist tendencies. A chat with the school psychologist should give you solid advice about additional ways to help your child.
New year’s resolutions
Dear parents,
Disorganization works for some students and their families. Every school day, children rush around looking for permission slips to sign at the last minute, for gym clothes, and for lunch money. The household resembles a madhouse every morning and after school, too, but the disorganized children still might be doing well in school.
But organization works far better for most families. It lets children leave for school from a calm environment, know that the routine every day will be the same, and understand clearly what their responsibilities are. It also means no surprises. Tests are prepared for on time. Homework assignments are written down, and the necessary books and papers have been brought home. Project dates and even dental appointments are written down on calendars. Obviously, it is far easier for students in well-organized families to succeed in school.
If you are organized, more than likely your children are, too. Most families need to tweak their before- and after-school organization from time to time. Look over our list of the most essential elements of this type of organization. If you see any areas that are not as organized as they might be, make a New Year’s resolution to change them. Here are some recommendations:
• Resolve to have a routine to follow every morning. This includes definite times for getting up, eating breakfast, and leaving for school.
• Resolve to have a homework system. Your children should use assignment pads and calendars and follow a fixed homework time schedule.
• Resolve to show your children how to keep their papers for each class in an organized fashion. Folders and binders handle this task efficiently. Schedule a weekly time to eliminate unnecessary papers.
• Resolve to have a system for handling lunches, permission slips and notes from the school.
• Resolve to give your children the responsibility of handling most of these tasks as soon as they are old enough to do so.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com or ask them on the columnists’ website at www.dearteacher.com.
© Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2013.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
