Indy math teacher: Students are “thinkers, not human calculators”

In a feature we are calling How I Teach, we spotlight how great teachers approach their jobs. Interested in submitting your own? Fill out our brief form, also at the bottom, and email a photo of yourself (school picture, snapshot or picture of you in the classroom) to in.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Name: Chris York
School: Washington Irving School 14
Current subject/grade: fourth grade math

How did you get into teaching?

I got into teaching because I love to learn. I love getting up every morning, at 6 a.m., knowing that I am going to learn and experience something new. Education is always changing. We are always learning new ways to teach, to engage, and to enrich the education experience for students. I love knowing that next year, I may teach a specific skill in a new way.

How do you plan your lessons?

I do a lot of googling! In our technological age, there are hundreds of resources online. I will watch countless videos on different ways to teach a concept. I will read best practice articles on ways to teach a concept. I am always looking for different ways to adapt a lesson, always looking for another tool to add to my belt in case a student doesn’t understand the initial concept.

I also use data to drive my lessons. I always give some type of formal weekly assessment. This data doesn’t always go in the grade book to never to be seen again until report cards come out. This data is used to group students based upon need. If I give an assessment and I find out that nine students in my class didn’t understand the standard from the week before, I will be pulling those students over in a small group setting the next week to figure out what is causing the frustration. Data drives my instruction and small group work.

How do you respond when a student doesn’t understand something?

Honestly, it varies depending on the student. I would love to say that I am understanding every time a student doesn’t understand, but that’s not true. If a student really tried and gave me their best and still didn’t understand what we were trying to do, I would pull those students over and work in a smaller group. I would try to explain in multiple ways to see where they can connect from. I truly believe in the definition of insanity. If I just keep doing the same lesson over and over, expecting different results, then it’s me who is not understanding, not the kids. I need to be able to change my methods on the fly.

Now, if a student was lacking the “want to,” I would have a long conversation about their attitude. Kids that persevere and keep working, even when they don’t understand, usually end up figuring the concept out. If they are struggling with wanting to understand, then it’s my job to coach them to understand their need for it.

What’s different about your classroom?

My classroom is different because of what I focus on. Meaning, I tell my kids that, “I don’t care if you can give me the right answer. I care if you can think.” I consistently tell them that getting a math answer right in fourth grade isn’t going to get them a job. No job application, or job interview, will ever ask them what their fourth grade math scores are. If they can’t learn to think, it doesn’t matter. I tell them, “you can know all the math in the world, but if you can’t learn to think and make good choices for yourself, then it doesn’t matter.” Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t want them to learn math. I have high standards for my students and expect them to know how do a math problem. However, if they can’t walk out of my classroom and treat people with respect, treat themselves with respect, and make smart choices, then knowing answers in my math class won’t matter in the future. I want them to be thinkers, not human calculators. Thinkers change the world, not calculators.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

One: Laughter is the best medicine. I always heard this, but once I read a study about how beneficial laughter is to the body. I started applying anecdotal evidence to my experience with laughter. I realized that all my best memories came from times that I was laughing. I could remember something from 10 years ago specifically because I was hanging out with my friends or family, laughing about something. Kids in my class come with added stresses. I tell my students if they laugh at my jokes, they get extra credit. It’s hard to be agitated and upset when everyone around you is smiling and laughing. Laughter is contagious and improves the climate in my classroom.

Two: People mirror what they receive. This is psychological but I believe it’s true. If I give a smile, the mirror neurons in your brain will reciprocate that back to me. If I laugh, you will laugh. If I say ‘hello,’ you will say ‘hello.’ If I speak in a good tone, you will speak in a good tone. If I yell, you will yell. I believe this is also true for trust. This is the greatest component that a teacher must build with children from any background. If a student doesn’t trust you, it’s hard for them to want to learn from you. I try to mirror trust for my students. I let them know that I trust them to do the right thing. I try to give them some confidence to trust themselves. If trust they will do what is right, then hopefully they will do what is right. Too often, our society tries to push people down. We are made to believe that we can’t trust anyone. Therefore, nobody trusts anybody else and we always have our guard up. I think my classroom is made better because I look for the best in them and try to build upon that. Would I trust them all to house sit? Absolutely not. But that doesn’t mean I can’t trust them to do something else. That something else is what I focus on.