Gloria started the school year struggling in both Math and Reading. While she was always very eager to please, that usually meant her work was done quickly with many careless mistakes. Much of her work was returned to her, but she would take it home, and not really correct the mistakes, continuing to make the same errors. Gloria is shy and rarely asked for help from her teachers or her peers. Her family was very concerned about her grades, but they did not know what to do to help her improve her academics.
Gloria then became a participant in the After School Achievement Program which met in the classroom Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3- 4 p.m. The focus of her sessions was primarily on math skills, but the group also worked on reading comprehension and fluency. Her After School Achievement sessions involved a small group atmosphere where the students studied the process and steps of math equations. This method of learning really helped Gloria slow down and better understand the problems from the text book. She soon began to focus more on the details which allowed her to improve her comprehension of the problems and the subject matter. Her teacher noticed her confidence growing, and in just a few months, she really began to shine. She not only knew the correct answers, but could also explain how she got to the answer as she now understood the process.
This new found confidence filtered into other aspects of her life. She demonstrated improvement in all subject areas and even in peer interactions. Gloria now understands that with hard work and dedication she is capable of doing really well. She now believes in herself and her abilities. She started to reach out towards her peers, teachers and her family to help her become even more successful.
Gloria’s improvement in math translated to helping her realize she can overcome other obstacles in her life.