All Saints teacher uses creativity to decode math

Susan Samonds has been teaching junior high math at All Saints Catholic Academy in Naperville for 11 years of a 28-year teaching career. Here, she shares a few tricks of her trade.

Q. How do you motivate students to build an interest in math?

A. I try to motivate my students by example. I hope my love of math comes across as they are motivated by the excitement of success they get when solving a math question.

I also read math literature books. Even eighth-graders love the stories. Junior high students appreciate the cleverness of the authors.

Q. What stays constant about your math teaching, even as technology and instruction change?

A. I use my gift of creativity to make difficult math concepts easier and memorable. The ability to memorize is a gift not all of us have. I break a concept down and then I try to think of an association that can help them remember it.

I have been told by my students over the years that they do remember things because of the silly associations I have shown them.

For example, absolute value signs remind me of an old-fashioned telephone booth. So just like Clark Kent goes in and comes out Superman, numbers go in negative and come out positive!

Once a concept is understood, it can be applied to more difficult problems. I always point out to my students that there are no exceptions to the rule in math, unlike I before E except after C. You can always "count" on math!

Q. How can math-focused extracurricular activities such as math competitions help students increase their learning?

A. They learn to work together. They learn to handle successes and failures with grace and dignity. They learn a branch of mathematics where they can use their ability to think "outside the box" to solve problems.