During our mission, we frequently have opportunities to use skills and experiences from our past. We would never have dreamed, however, that one of those would be math. We’ve been grateful for defensive driving skills learned on the So Cal freeways, and winter survival skills from growing up in Utah, but the fact that we are reaching into the lives of some great young men through basic algebra and geometry has been a pleasant surprise.
Here’s the story and we’re stickin’ to it. Jacque and I were summoned to a home of a recently discovered family to teach mom how to improve her job search skills. She was frazzled and defeated and found it difficult to focus on what we were saying. Finally, we asked her what she was worried about. She said there were many things, but at the top of her list was the fact that her two sons were struggling with math and she was unable to help them. Believing that we should help these people in whatever way we can, we set up a tutoring schedule. In a typical session, we would review math facts, do a practice test, enjoy a simple meal which mom or grandma would graciously prepare and then help them learn a few new English words. In exchange, we would learn a few Romanian phrases and have the benefit of watching a small family be transformed. Not only have the math skills improved, but so has the way they treat each other and their self-confidence. They are attending meetings with us and have received a warm welcome back. Most of all, we have gained some real friends and we look forward to spending time with them, building math and life skills. The young missionaries have been tremendous role models for these boys. There is hope in math.
We were introduced to another wonderful family who have been attending our English classes. At the outdoor May 1 activity, dad confided in me that his son was struggling in math and that he was not able to help him as the son was going through the all too common “dad doesn’t really know anything” stage shared among 13 year olds. We agreed to visit and see what we could do. This has led to some delightful sessions, and we learned tonight that the son did better on the end of school math test than dad had predicted. We think the individual attention and the great influence of the younger missionaries have made a difference.
This sounds like a paid announcement from the public education system, but we have learned for ourselves that skills we’ve learned that seemed to have no relevance, have proven useful. There is hope in math, and geography, and history, and … grammar.
This sounds like a paid announcement from the public education system, but we have learned for ourselves that skills we’ve learned that seemed to have no relevance, have proven useful. There is hope in math, and geography, and history, and … grammar.