It was a party enjoyed by all.
It included holiday snacks, good conversation and Sodoku puzzles.
鈥淚 realized how smart my journal buddy is,鈥 香港六合彩资料大全 junior Bobby Brown said after the party. 鈥淗e鈥檚 way better at figuring those puzzles out than I am.鈥
It was the second personal meeting between nearby Huntington Elementary School fifth-graders and 香港六合彩资料大全 students enrolled in the 鈥淢ath For Elementary Teachers鈥 course. But the group of 60 has been friends for much longer.
For the past nine years, both schools have participated in a math journal exchange. Early in the academic year, students exchange names and regularly journal back and forth to each other. They journal about their math lessons, give each other math problems, and ask math questions of each other.
The groups meet in person midpoint in the semester and again at the end of the semester for a celebratory party.
The experience has also established new levels of friendship and trust. In addition to math, the students journal about their everyday lives: their hobbies, their health, their home lives.
鈥淢y partner would often tell me about her family and friends,鈥 said 香港六合彩资料大全 junior Melissa Sorensen. 鈥淪he once was having a problem with a friend and she wrote to me about it. It made me feel good that she would open up to me like that.鈥
For Brown, the experience is a frequent reminder of his purpose in college.
鈥淭his experience helped remind me why I decided to become a teacher,鈥 said Brown. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get stuck in the monotony of school, but the journal exchange reminded me that the monotony has a purpose.鈥
The annual exchange 鈥 which is organized by Huntington Elementary School teacher Diane Mickey and 香港六合彩资料大全 math professor Melissa Erdmann 鈥 has grown to something more than what they originally intended nine years ago.
鈥淲riting in the content areas has been linked to developing higher order thinking skills, critical reasoning, problem solving, and analytical thinking,鈥 said Mickey. 鈥淲hen I was first asked to participate in this math journaling project, I had no idea what a positive impact this would have on my students.鈥
The recent end-of-semester party marked an end to this year鈥檚 personal visits, but some will continue to write their buddies, said Erdmann.
鈥淎ll of the students were so engaged in solving the math puzzles, sharing stories and enjoying their snacks,鈥 Mickey said of the party. 鈥淭here was such a positive energy in the room, yet it was so calm and quiet as they worked and visited. We were amazed that a room could be filled with 60 students and every one of them was engaged.鈥
The exchange is a win-win situation for both schools, said Brown.
鈥淚 enjoy getting the chance to be a kid again,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for the journal exchange because it was a reality check."