The Zen of Junior High Math

Yesterday while co-teaching integral exponents to seventh graders, one class whined and belly-ached throughout the class about how we didn't show them how to do all the different types of problems and how they just couldn't get it. After doing the corrections, we could overhear some of them conspiring to fill the board with questions so as to not have homework assigned. My brilliant co-teacher started in on the day's lesson before going over the corrections and then assigned homework anyway. I suggested throwing in the word problems at the end of the worksheet for good measure.

The next class came in. No whining, only questions about what they must not have understood from the day before. Nearly everyone in the class participated and worked really hard to understand the concept. "What's the base?" resounded throughout the room in booming bass voices. We could see the light bulbs starting to go on for more and more of the kids. One boy at the front sighed, "Oh, I get that." After homework was assigned (sans the word problems), one girl came to us and said, "I feel so smart. I think I get it." The other teacher grinned and said, "That's because you are smart, dear."

The first class reminds me of the Zen story about the young monk who goes to a monastery to learn from an old master. The master serves tea to the student and keeps pouring until the teacup overflows. The student protests and tells the master that he is spilling the tea and wasting it. The master calmly looks at the student and says, "You are like this teacup. You are already so full of yourself that there is no room for anything else."

The second class was receptive and open to learning. Not being full of ideas about how the integral exponents ought to work, the class allowed us to guide them through the various rules and pitfalls. The other teacher and I can only help where there is willingness to be open to a new idea.