The importance of teachers goes past the classroom as they are some of the most important and influential individuals in people’s lives. Teachers play an important role in educating students, especially early education educators serving the Spark Math Pre-K to Grade 6 students. Inspiring, educating, and supporting kids, in person and online, these devoted individuals pay special attention to children’s development and learning and help them gain important knowledge and understanding. Every one of Spark Math by Spark Education’s online classes are run by real live teachers who are passionate about math.
This May, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week in style! On top of sharing with you why our teachers love Spark Math and our proprietary technology-enabled teaching platform and why our teachers are rockstars! we want to close off the week of celebration with more teacher stories. Read on to learn how our teachers are focused on helping students learn how to problem solve, get better grades and make math fun.
Meet Spark Math Teachers Anna and Yun!
What drives them to devote their lives to teaching? We sat down with two of our teachers, Anna and Ms. Chen, to learn more about them, why they are passionate about teaching, and why Spark Math works.
Thanks talking to us for Teacher Appreciation Week. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Anna:
I’m from Columbia, Missouri and I’ve taught both 5th and 2nd grade math.
Ms. Chen:
I was born in China, moved to New York City and taught there for over 10 years, and now I’m living and teaching in California.
What drives you to teach with Spark Math?
Anna:
I really enjoy working with kids. I really like when I get to see that “ah ha!” moment when they finally understand a math concept. My experience in teaching has helped me with getting to know students, identifying their needs, and finding ways to help them best learn.
Ms. Chen:
I’ve always loved teaching. Even as a kid, I would always pretend to be a teacher and bribe my friends to be my “students”.
What makes Spark Math special when it comes to helping kids learn?
Anna:
I think implementing games really makes it a lot more fun in the classes.There are videos that go along with the lessons that help students understand concepts. My suggestion to anyone trying to help students learn is to make math fun. I know there are multiple different programs online that are related to games, but Spark Math still focuses on academics and lessons while having fun.
Ms. Chen:
The live teachers are great for helping kids understand [math concepts] deeper. The videos can be very interesting, but if they’re not able to relate to it, then they’re not their friend. For example, let’s say we have a math problem about something they don’t care about. A teacher can change the parameters to what they want to talk about. Do you like to go running? Let’s think about this as running instead of driving. It helps them make a connection with the content and their real life and that makes it more engaging for them.
What would you say to someone who struggles with learning math?
Anna:
Try to give as many strategies as possible and figure out which strategy works best for them. If students are having trouble with their homework, I may be able to let parents know the strategies that I’m offering in class and see if that works for them at home.
Ms. Chen:
Make sure kids have fun when they are learning math. When they like it, they are excited the next lesson.
Real Teacher support is part of the Spark Math difference!
Like Ms. Chen and Anna, our live teachers are passionate about math and ready to help students in every one of Spark Math by Spark Education’s online classes. We thank them this Teacher Appreciation Week for all the hard word they do all year long. Want to find out about our classes for yourself? Sign up for a FREE trial class today!
