By Ariel Gilreath of The Hechinger Report
September 5, 2023
CHICAGO (AP) — In July, in a packed classroom in downtown Chicago, a group composed mostly of early elementary teachers and child care workers read a story about “Wendi,” a fictional preschool teacher who loves reading but struggles in math.
Even though Wendi was drawn to early education, where “math was so easy,” she still felt unsure of her skills. In the story, she decided to skip math concepts, leaving them for the teachers her students would have next year.
Across the room, people nodded their heads as they listened.
“I am Wendi. Wendi is me,” said Ivory McCormick, a kindergarten teacher from Atlanta. Several other educators in the classroom identified with Wendi, and that was the point. Decades of research shows math anxiety is a common problem for adults, and surveys show it particularly affects women, who make up nearly 90% of elementary teachers in the United States.
Put simply, a lot of elementary school educators hate the prospect of teaching math, even when the concepts are beginner-level.
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https://apnews.com/article/math-teacher-kindergarten-preschool-3f870e01de689522a52d7f89c23509de