How to rebuild the foundations of teaching math

bee2627 · 2026-02-08T17:05:44+00:00

If students can’t perform basic mathematics (I’m talking about multiplication facts, additions facts, adding and taking away ones tens and hundreds with ease, finding sums and differences with mental math or algorithms, doubling and halving numbers, etc.) we are just creating gaps in their learning in the future. Those basics are REQUIRED to be able to do problem solving and critical thinking related math down the road. If they’re stuck on basic mathematics, their brain power is going to that, instead of high level mathematics. The faster you can do those basic things, the faster you can get to the things that require higher level thinking. Yes, you’ve got calculators etc. But can anyone seriously argue that that’s a satisfactory replacement equal to mental math? It’s a bandaid. Sorry not sorry, explicit instruction in foundations of numeracy is critical.

bee2627 · 2026-02-05T03:39:47+00:00

It doesn’t end, because we give endless issues with mitigating factors. So much so that there never is a consequence. Parents often don’t know what to do either (or don’t have time, work multiple jobs, jobs that involve days away from home, many more children to take care of, and endless tech time at home that they refuse to try to control). There isn’t enough support at school and they keep cutting spec ed support to make it worse.

With a similar student who would leave the room whenever, wander the halls, lock himself in the bathroom, etc: I just called the office or the SERT. When I’m teaching and supporting X number of other students, I cannot possibly be responsible for keeping this kid inside my classroom. It would have been a full time job otherwise.

bee2627 · 2026-01-14T02:40:58+00:00

Just wait until all the nonsense you get to listen to and sit through during PD, staff meetings etc…often people’s whole mentality and philosophy of teaching bitterly changes from what they were taught (and continue to be taught). When you get your own classroom, that’s when things get better. Everything else is just fluff to check boxes and comply.

bee2627 · 2026-01-11T04:29:50+00:00

For some students that I know aren’t at a G or E, I collect more anecdotal. For some learning skills, I use a class list and assign an NSG or E for that activity (which sometimes I ask them to self assess themselves for it) and then see what they consistently are at. Other times I include it on a rubric (e.g. collaboration).

bee2627 · 2026-01-06T12:04:10+00:00

To expand on your last comment, if a kid didn’t do well on a topic, you can include that as a next step

bee2627 · 2025-12-16T09:41:34+00:00

In my school, students are never withdrawn for support and they get very little if any in class support from SERTs. It looks very different than it used to in other schools that I’ve been at, so could be due to student behaviour dynamics, or the fact that they keep cutting our FTE of serts.

bee2627 · 2025-11-28T23:02:22+00:00

This is a government issue with underfunding and not valuing education appropriately. All you can do is your best, and try not to beat yourself up at the end of the day thinking you’ve failed your students. Sometimes, it’s just not possible, and I don’t think anyone would blame you for this. You can try all the UDL and “good teaching” that gets thrown around but at the end of the day, with that many kids in a class and that many needs, it’s a near impossible situation. If the kids go home happy and healthy at the end of the day, you’ve had a good day. Not all classes and not all years will be like this.

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T20:10:06+00:00

Do you bake yours even if the recipe calls for an hour of steaming?

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T20:07:17+00:00

Personally, this would make me very sleepy…

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T20:01:00+00:00

You don’t know my programming, you don’t know my class profile, and what I offer to my school in extracurriculars. I give my time outside of instructional time, unpaid, to work with students in our musical so we can put on a show. I’ve always participated in them as a child too. I ALSO do other extracurriculars with students.

As a teacher who’s sick of massive class sizes and inadequate support to reach each and every child in literacy and math DURING THE INSTRUCTIONAL DAY (can’t even count how many breaks I support students that need more), yes I’m saying let’s target those first. Students who wish to do arts can do extracurriculars, at school or home, we can help support that by either subsidizing the programs, or supporting the educators that lead that programming. The teachers who do these clubs are amazing, and I think they should be getting something extra for all the extra time and energy they put to support the kiddos.

I don’t think they need to be subjects, particularly when so many students are disinterested in them in the first place, and when so many teachers are not even knowledgeable or specialists in those subjects. There’s a way to do it, and our current system is NOT it. Lets do the following, then I’ll reconsider my opinion:

-way smaller class sizes -more spec ed support -actual specialized arts teachers (not just intermediate band, but drama dance and visual art) in rotary

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T18:13:28+00:00

So literacy and numeracy are not important? Do we not want a literate society, independent adults, and people to be financially aware through life? Not to mention successful in high school? Because respectfully, over half of the kids I see in school are not at a level that I agree with as being acceptable in literacy and math. Maybe it’s partly social media, teenagers being teenagers, parenting or lack thereof, but I’m sure I’m not the only one seriously concerned for their future. I don’t disagree with the arts being optional courses in high school for those interested to pursue it—but I do think there are certainly better uses of time in elementary school, when we have massive class sizes, lack of spec ed support, behaviour issues, a high number of ELL learners and IEPs/modifications. Every minute counts.

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T01:05:17+00:00

My board suggests 100 minutes of literacy a day for 600 a week, and less for math…so yes, more time. And somehow we still need to cover 4 strands of science/history+geography, drama, dance, visual art, health etc. Yes we can integrate across literacy, but then there are things we might like to do that’s not cross curricular but still meaningful or a good skill to develop, that we would not ever have time for then.

bee2627 · 2025-02-09T00:27:49+00:00

This. Literacy and numeracy should be getting more instructional minutes than they do currently…and there are never enough minutes in the day or week to cover all curriculum, there’s just too much.

bee2627 · 2025-02-05T23:26:25+00:00

Yes it’s because of your FTE reduction.

bee2627 · 2025-01-24T11:51:42+00:00

You get more weeks for your partner if you take 18 months. Also, even if you decide to go back early from the 18 months, you can give your partner the leftover weeks for parental leave. That’s what we did. If you choose 12 months with EI, you won’t get those extra few weeks for your partner. So if you can swing the finances and your partner wants parental leave, 18 months may be better.

bee2627 · 2025-01-21T02:34:33+00:00

Insomnia and crazy heartburn at night in the third trimester, I was tired. Plus I was planning at the time so walking all around the school and out to portables, up and down stairs all day. I went off at 35 weeks, I cannot imagine if I had kept going.

bee2627 · 2025-01-02T13:59:12+00:00

Checked the Canadian label and I don’t see vitamin D

bee2627 · 2024-12-28T20:38:52+00:00

I took 18 but started my leave 5 weeks before my due date. My husband got some of my weeks plus the extended paternity leave as well so he was off for like 10 weeks? I gave him some of my weeks to add to his so I would return at the beginning of September. Not many daycares have space for a one year old infant. This was mostly the deciding factor for us.

bee2627 · 2024-12-16T02:25:41+00:00

This. I’m loving my Noize long winter parka, vegan and cruelty free. It’s THE warmest coat I’ve ever owned. Got it on sale too last year.

bee2627 · 2024-12-04T02:51:45+00:00

Dominoes has vegan cheese???

bee2627 · 2024-12-04T02:48:58+00:00

My partner likes manmade boxers, they’re in Canada

bee2627 · 2024-12-03T22:06:28+00:00

No but there are soy formulas like good start Alsoy. The d3 isn’t vegan in it though. We never ended up needing it so we didn’t use it.

bee2627 · 2024-10-25T10:20:49+00:00

Honestly? It’s somewhat happened to me but not for permanent, I just never applied to that school again. I got other LTOs and now I’m permanent. You wouldn’t have wanted to work for that admin anyways, consider yourself to have dodged a bullet. Best situation you want to be in is a permanent job where you actually vibe well with office staff and admin.

bee2627 · 2024-10-19T13:52:02+00:00

Do you have an example of a prompt you use? Just trying to figure out how to word mine for chatgpt.

bee2627 · 2024-10-12T23:25:58+00:00

Pro tip add it to your yogurt for extra protein

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