Let’s face facts. When you were in elementary school, arithmetic or mathematics – call it what you want – wasn’t exactly the most thrilling subject. Sure, reading or perhaps a history lesson could entertain with the stories. Besides, nothing could compete with the two best periods of the day, namely recess and lunch.
But math? Oh, brother. Remember long division? That was enough to send anyone to the nurse’s office, feigning a stomach ache. Problem solving? We’re getting chills at the thought.
However, it appears as if the days of dreading math equations are a thing of the past. That is, if you take a look at the faces of the kids in Weehawken’s Webster School.
The pre-kindergarten through second grade students at Webster are having a ball these days with basic math. The entire school body is involved in a week-long “Math Challenge,” where the students were asked to complete 10,000 math equations in the span of a week.
The pre-kindergarten through second grade students at Webster are having a ball these days with basic math. The entire school body is involved in a week-long “Math Challenge,” where the students were asked to complete 10,000 math equations in the span of a week.
Under the guidance of math teacher Jeannine Muneyyirci and parent coordinator Veronica Perez, each student has been given five equations per night to complete so the school can reach the ultimate goal.
“The idea is to bring in a program where students believe math is fun,” Muneyyirci said. “And it is fun. It’s challenging and it’s used in every day life. We’re encouraging them to want to learn math.”
All part of the fun
Part of the fun was an appearance from the acting troupe, “Arithmetickles,” sponsored by the Children’s Theater Center of New Jersey. The group travels to schools throughout the state and performs skits and sets using math as a theme.
“Arithmetickles,” with actor Ben Bender performing, did a presentation strictly for the children during the day Monday and then invited the parents back at night to have a show where both the parents and children got on stage together to experience the fun hands-on.
“The key is establishing a good foundation in math,” Webster School Principal Anthony Colasurdo said. “We have to find ways to motivate the students to want to participate in math. We’ve been trying to make it fun for some time.”
It seems to be working.
“I like math,” said 7-year-old Eliza Leal, a second grader. “My Mom says that I’m good at math, but this definitely makes math fun. I was on the stage with my Mom and we had a lot of fun. Mom wants me to do more with math because she knows how important it is. But I really love it and would do anything for math. I had a lot of fun with the show.”
Maya Adasse is another 7-year-old second grader.
“I think I do pretty good in math, but this made me want to do more math,” Adasse said. “The show was really great and a lot of fun. I like to go up on stage and do things with a lot of people there watching me. I was a little nervous at first being on stage, but it was a lot of fun.”
If the students complete the 10,000 equations as part of the “Math Challenge,” they will all be treated to see “Horton Hears a Who” in a local theater. The movie holds significance to Weehawken youngsters, because Dr. Seuss’ original story mentions Weehawken in it.
“I did about 15 math problems all by myself,” Adasse said. “I want to go to the movie.”
All in all, the program worked out well.
“We were able to get the children and the parents involved together,” Muneyyirci said. “The parents were so happy and we encourage them to participate along with their children. I think they all realized that math could be fun. All the classes were talking about it the day after. It was a way to teach them real life experiences with math, what they need to learn and understand.”
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com