Carlotta Taylor

The effect of the Math Corps on my children...
[My daughter] hated math. Oh God, did she really hate math! But, then she came during the Saturday program, and got placed into a higher class. That thrilled her and made her have more responsibility. At first, she said, "I don't understand any of this stuff!" I said, "That's OK! It's alright! Just look at it." Before, I felt it was more me saying, "You can't go outside, I want the Math done before you leave." Now, she started doing it more herself. She started working with it at school, and asking questions of her teachers. She started taking more responsibility for herself.

[My son] was a child that hated school; he wanted to stay home and play all day. He always said what he could not do, and had more of a test anxiety. [He] has come a long way with that, and he doesn't have test anxiety as much; he feels more comfortable. He loved Math Corps, and it's helped him out a lot. He has more confidence... as a matter of fact, he's very good in Math.

About the Math Corps Family Math Workshops...
A lot of parents started coming and saying, "I just can't do this stuff. There's no way." One time we had a father who would just scratch his head and say, "I've got a headache seeing this!" I told him, "Now you see what your child is going through." A lot of times the parents may not get it the first time. But, when they come back the next time, they seem to have it. As a matter of fact, you see a difference in them by the time they finish the class, just like you see with the students. You can see them start talking, and getting more involved... the parents start understanding more about Math. They say, "Oh my God, is that all there is? Is this really all there is to Math?" I say, "Yes, that's all it is." You would hear someone get up and do a testimony, saying, "I thought I would never learn Math like I know it now." Just like the kids say. As a matter of fact, [Math Corps] did change some parents: "I think I'll go back to school now. I'll take a Math class." Some parents did say that. So, it made a big difference - not just for their students, but for them, too.

I learned a lot that helped me to be able to teach other kids. I'm not looking for the certificate - I just like to come to learn techniques to go out and teach other kids. I started seeing that the biggest thing was that I should go back to school. I went back after I came here, after I was seeing that I need it. I needed to be in a classroom teaching Math.

On the role of a parent...
Some parents are not going to come at all... no matter what you do, they're not going to come, because they say, "It's not interesting; just teach it to my child." What I tell parents when they tell me this is, "You are [your child's] first teacher, if not the teacher itself. You're responsible for 85% of your child's education. 85% means that you're supposed to get to their teacher and understand yourself [what's going on]. Or, you're supposed to get someone to get it to you, but you are responsible to make sure your child gets it. You should want to see what your child is doing. [In the Math Corps], they have homework Monday through Thursday. So, if they come home and tell you they don't have any, they're lying. If [a student] misses too many times, they are kicked out of the program.

To me, you are your child's first teacher. If you come and look at the program, regardless if your child doesn't want to come, send them anyway. I know sometimes parents push their kids towards things that the kid really doesn't want to do. But, I tell them when it comes to something educational, it's not your child's decision. It has to be more so your decision. I remember one parent was not going to send their child [to Math Corps]. I said, "You need to make him do it. I'll come pick him up. You need to make him go. Once he gets there, I betcha he'll have a more positive attitude about it." She said, "You're right." And he did have positive attitude after he got here. He started wanting to come himself. But, if you had never made him get up out of the bed and go, then you'd never understand what can happen.

One thing about Math Corps...
When you teach a kid to understand, they'll remember faster. To me, most Math in school is taught wrong. They teach the kids to memorize, but they never understand it. [Math Corps] takes the kids and makes them understand what numbers are about. You'd be surprised how Math Corps helps the students.