TRAVELOGUE HOUR FOUR-Math and Madness

TRAVELOGUE hour Four- Math and Madness

Today I met with my student and I decided today will be Math homework, but I really want to know what progress we are making.  I wanted to know was she really improving in his Math homework, and was my meetings with her making an impact, or was she still in this MADNESS of saving her family.
We studied her times tables, I showed her the obvious ones we all learn first, the 1's, 2's, 5's, 10's 11's. She got all of them right.  I showed her Division was the opposite of multiplication, and she understood that by my surprise with great ease.  We even hit a little on fractions and exponents   I began to understand that she was rather good at Math.  I began to understand that her issue may not be Math at all.  All this MADNESS was she just needed to talk.
Dual roll, playing more than one role, is what came to mind.  I do not want this Travelogue to be venting, but then I realized  to be an educator, a good educator, one must step out of the box with students and with themselves   I now understood becoming an educator is about taking the time to really understand your students and what they need.  My math student needed a friend to understand Math.
If she was going to really understand school, and our culture she needed to understand people care, educators care, and are willing to take the time to understand the issues of their students, because all situations effect one's ability to learn.
A distraction rather it be a classroom distraction, or a life distraction.  A misunderstanding at school or in life is still a misunderstanding and still has the same impact  of interfering with learning.  We covered her math homework, talked about spring break and explained life and all the mysteries it has.  I explained to her, MADNESS comes rather you are in Elementary school or in college. Madness is madness and it effects us all.  I think the honesty I showed her today will help her with her studies more than all the Math sessions we had.
The fourth hour was the best session we had.  I was honest with her and myself for the first time.  Regardless of age, situation, we all have stress, and things that interfere with our lives, and when those things take center stage they interfere with learning and with life.  I told her how I deal with my life, children and troubles in life. I kept the conversation "kid friendly" but that is what she needed.  She needed the answer to the madness.  I played dual roles fully and now believe she can get through her Madness, rather it is Math or the struggles of a young girl discovering herself.