Teaching has the potential to transform the lives of students as they look for opportunities for growth. This transformation happens in my classroom when my students feel less anxious about math and more excited to explore concepts by connecting them to real-life situations. Using hands-on activities and experiential learning to engage with my students, I encourage them to collaborate with their peers, build their math skills, and think more critically about what they’ve learned.

When my students were learning about finance, interest, and percentage, for example, I designed a project where my budding entrepreneurs would work on a dream project, like starting a car garage, a restaurant, or a gym. First, the students wrote a proposal for a project to consider the loan they needed for it, the interest they would be paying, and how long it would take to make a profit.

It was interesting to note how they created models and worked on mathematical calculations to finance their project. I also learned several ways to present finances and appreciated the strategies that students came up with to make a profit as soon as possible. At the end of the project, the whole class celebrated the accomplishment of the task with a pizza party