Mad Minutes Struggles

One of my strongest memories of learning math in elementary school

(5th grade)  was doing “Mad Minutes,” where we had to quickly complete multiplication facts under a time limit. Since I never fully mastered my multiplication tables, these timed drills always stressed me out. Instead of feeling confident, I often felt anxious and rushed, which made math seem harder than it really was. This experience showed me how pressure can sometimes block learning and why it’s important to create supportive environments where students feel safe to grow.

Hands-On Fractions

A positive memory I have from  elementary school 3rd grade is when we learned fractions using hands-on activities, like cutting paper pizzas or using fraction tiles. These lessons helped me actually see how fractions worked, which made the concepts easier to understand. Instead of just memorizing numbers, I was able to connect math to real-life examples. This experience made me realize how powerful it can be to make math visual and interactive.