I don’t get the math.
That was the message Roosevelt Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Yasmin De La Torre received from one of her students via Google Classroom. Math, of course, is easier to show than tell so De La Torre quickly looked for her whiteboard in the garage …
the one her husband had thrown away!
That’s when De La Torre climbed into an empty bathtub with her two-year-old son and begin writing math problems in erasable marker on her bath tiles. Not only did her students understand her work, but they discerned her dedication to them.
“The kids absolutely loved it and thought it was hilarious. Some of them said they were going to take the picture and create memes,” De La Torre said. “Later in the day one of my colleagues reminded me that I could’ve just used the Zoom virtual whiteboard.”
And miss out on a classic meme moment? No way.
De La Torre is this week’s Distance Learning Educator of the Week for the lengths she’ll go to teach her students.
De La Torre holds virtual class with her students twice per week and often fields questions from students or parents late into the night. She is also the administrator for Roosevelt’s Facebook and Instagram pages which keep parents updated on school news – and funny bathtub photos.
“I’m hoping my students will see the picture and realize they can’t afford to miss one of our online classes,” she said. “You never know what you’ll see.”