I have written about these two boys before. They are the two students who were struggling with Mathematics. They are best friends and were in grade six. Well now they are both in grade 7. They play football for the school, and they are doing so much better in Mathematics. I had written that one struggled more than the other in Mathematics. For the student who struggled more, doing Math was like doing 'rocket science'. Sometimes it was painful to watch, but at the same time admirable, because he was persistent. Sometimes, I had to be a little stern with him because I did not want him to give up. I was determined for him to understand the concepts as well as pass his NY State exam. I went through such a roller coaster of emotions while preparing him for the exam. Finally I looked at him and said, you are going to pass this exam. You know how to do these Mathematics. We practice these all the time. There is nothing new, just read the problems carefully, take your time, and do what the question asks of you. Check your calculations and be careful.
WELL, HE PASSED! I felt like dancing in the street and having a parade for his accomplishment. You should have seen his face! Yesterday he showed me a recent quiz, and his score is a 73! He had one session with me so far, for this semester. And although we covered some of the topics that were on the quiz, if you know the student I know, then you would know that this is a BIG DEAL! I put the quiz on my refrigerator door. He told me that I could have it. The other student scored an 85 on the same test. His test is also on my refrigerator. I will be pushing Mr. 73 to an 85 and Mr. 85 to a 95. So lots of practice and hard work. They are scheduled to meet with me every Thursday; Mr. 73 from 6:30 - 7:30, and Mr. 85 from 7:30 - 8:30. They cannot be scheduled together because there is more competition and chatting than getting any work done. Anyway, I am so happy and I can hardly wait to see what this school year is going to be like for them. :)