Janet Anderson knows that multiplying numbers can be scary. So Anderson, a third-grade teacher at Elliott Ranch Elementary, works hard to minimize the "scary" factor and to show that math is natural, fun and all around us.
Also, if you don't get the math problem, that's OK by her. Really.
Anderson, who has taught for 23 years, is one of two recipients of the Sacramento County Teacher of the Year award, announced earlier this month.
On Monday, Anderson gathered five students for a lesson in multiplying 16 by four.
The remaining 16 students in her class worked quietly at their desks, coloring in charts and re-working math problems.
"Are you scared yet?" she said, gently teasing the students of the "blue group," as she wrote the problem on the whiteboard. "It's just exactly like adding."
She guided the students through the new concept of multiplying a single-digit number by a double-digit number.
"The answer is 64. Crazy, huh?" she said.
"I don't get it," one of the students said.
"You know what? If you don't get it, that's OK," said Anderson. "I'll teach you over and over and over again until you do. That's fantastic. It means you get to learn."
Anderson has four reading and four math groups in her classroom, which enables her to differentiate levels and learning styles. And the groups change often, she said, explaining a bit about her teaching philosophy.
"Every child can learn," she said. "The trick is to find out where they are and to take them up to the next notch. The high-level kids and the low-level kids are gone when you teach all to one level. With group work, I make sure there are no holes (in their education)."
When asked about the Teacher of the Year honor, Anderson was modest. She stressed how collaboration with fellow teachers at Elliott Ranch has made her a better teacher and said that they're the reason she has been recognized.
Elliott Ranch Principal Mary Rountree nominated Anderson as a 2008 Elk Grove Unified School District Teacher of the Year, the first teacher Rountree has ever chosen to nominate. After winning that honor, Anderson then went on to be selected as one of two Sacramento County Teachers of the Year.
"Janet really represents the power of an excellent teacher," Rountree said. "She connects with students; she connects with parents. She does whatever it takes to enable children to learn."
Rountree said she sees many, many excellent teachers around her, as "elementary teachers are truly a committed, conscientious group."
"I truly did nominate (Janet) as a representative," she said.
As a Sacramento County Teacher of the Year, Anderson is now eligible for the statewide competition, at which time five California Teachers of the Year will be chosen.
Call The Bee's Melissa Nix, (916) 478-2653.
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