We were doing some bonding sessions on the Liverpool Hope PGCE residential.
Grouped into fours we had to do a poster titled, ‘What is Maths?’ It was a competition…we had to win.
I looked around, all the budding mathematics teachers were drawing, colouring, shapes, trigs, angles, pythags, hearts and kisses, laughing and enjoying themselves.
I said to my three budding wannabe teachers, “Maths is hard, boring and hardly anyone likes it, where should I put it?”
Gasp! They looked at me with horror and disgust. ‘No, its going nowhere.’
I sat the rest of the hour with a strop. Reluctantly at the end of the session, I added my contribution, in tiny writing at the bottom, right hand corner of our poster.
Ten posters were pinned to the wall for critique. As Barry, Sue and the other two leaders (can’t remember their names) paced up and down analysing, marking, judging.
Finally, Sue (Head of PGCE at Liverpool Hope Uni) congratulated us and said they were all really good, but there was only one winner.
She pointed to the bottom right hand corner of our poster and said, “This is the reality for most children out there. Its hard, boring and hardly anyone likes it.
“You all love maths, but the truth is, you are a minority. Most people hate it.”
She went on a bit more. Even though we won, we didn’t win a prize or anything, it really didn’t matter.
What mattered was, 39 other budding mathematics teachers on that day learnt that, for the masses of people, ‘Maths is hard, boring and hardly anyone likes it.’
When this becomes a reality, teaching maths becomes a joy. But how is it, that this is my reality?
Because, I also struggled. I had tutor after tutor. I know how it feels to be totally stuck and helpless.
And thats also how we get you an A* in GCSE Math’s. It maybe boring, you may not like it, but when you know how…its easy.
Who do you know, who wants an A* in GCSE maths? Give them my number, you could be someone’s saving grace. 07877216783
“Finally! How to get an A* in GCSE maths without working too hard!” (…in exactly 4 steps and 36 days. DM FOR DETAILS.)
