Adrian Douglas is a teacher in Metro Atlanta. He is advocating for students who are struggling readers to get more support in his class. He is only $1,162 dollars away from his fundraising goal. I’m featuring his project to support our work as Black male educators to close the achievement gap for children struggling in public schools.
I don’t see struggling readers, only students who have the potential to be successful mathematicians.
They are smart; intelligent; inspiring and conscious. But, what does it mean to be conscious in our learning environment? Does it mean that my students are aware? They are consciously aware that there are people who benefit if they do not achieve success.
They are aware that they have “haters,” who are looking to see them lose… badly. But, they are prepared to prove them (and their statistics) wrong.
We learn in a Title I school in the Metro Atlanta area, but that does not define us! Our zip code does define not us! Their statistics do not define us!
They, in fact, compel us to work harder and learn harder. We have goals, dreams, and targets to achieve and hit. Will you join our class in our effort to make personal and collective progress? The choice is ours!
Creating a culture of mathematics requires educators to create inclusive classrooms for diverse learners.
Many students are excited to interact with manipulatives, draw pictorial/representations, and write their number sentences, but there seems to be one obstacle. . . reading!
I have noticed more and more that many of my struggling readers are having difficulty with understanding the tasks and problems.
This results in students feeling like they are not mathematicians. By bringing technology to our classroom, I can use the iPad and the iPods to provide oral/auditory support for students.
No longer will students view a rigorous task and feel unsuccessful after having me as a teacher. They will feel and be EMPOWERED to do what they learned… solve problems!
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.