Parent Letter

Algebra 1 - Mrs. King

Dear Parent/Guardian,
Welcome to the new school year! I am very excited to have your child in my
classroom this year. I believe that by all of us working together we can make this a very
successful school year. I consider it of prime importance that you be an active part of your
childs education.
I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to be your childs teacher this year,
and look forward to meeting with each of you in the coming weeks and specifically at Back
to School Night on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:30 pm. Please review the syllabus your student
received today as it contains important information in order for your child to be successful in
my class this school year. Below you will find some FAQs. Should you have any additional
questions, feel free to contact me via email (mrsking.math@gmail.com or
cristina.longo@pgcps.org) or by phone (609-290-7099). You may also check out my class
website at www.king-math.com where notes and homework assignments will be updated
regularly.
What Should I Expect?
You (and your student) should expect a very challenging course. Algebra 1 is a high school
graduation requirement that builds the foundation for future math and science courses. At
the end of this course, students will be expected to pass the Algebra/Data Analysis High
School Assessment. Passing this test is a requirement for graduating high school.
You should expect homework that takes at least twenty minutes on any given night to
complete longer if your student is straining to grasp a concept. Homework will be assigned
nightly, with the exception of most Fridays. On that note, you should expect your student to
struggle from time to time. Most people (even engineers and math teachers) didnt pick this
stuff up the first time.
Finally, you should expect a teacher who is fully dedicated to your students success; who is
experienced in and passionate about this topic; who knows that your student can succeed;
and who will accept nothing less than his or her best work.
What Should My Student Expect?
Your student should expect to learn a vast range of new skills at a rapid pace. In addition,
familiar skills will be examined in new and at times more complicated ways, for reasons
that may not become evident for weeks or months.
Your student should expect to apply their knowledge to the real world, and not just through
contrived word problems. Applications will come from physics, chemistry, and the social
sciences.
What your student should not expect is to pick everything up as quickly as he or she has in
the past. This can be an immensely frustrating feeling. What they should expect, though, are
adults at school and at home who will support them throughout the long intellectual
journey.
What Makes This Class So Difficult?
First, the work is simply more complicated. Previously, most problems required 2 to 3 welldefined steps that were the same for every type of problem of that type. Now, problems

average 6 or more steps, many of which require the student to choose among multiple
strategies.
Not only is the material itself much harder, but the delivery is completely different as well.
Your student is used to discrete, repeatable skills (such as Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally)
that (usually) produce the right answer even if you have no idea why. Now, the focus will be
on learning the underlying concepts, and on building analytical problem-solving
techniques.
The transition from skills to concepts is a difficult one, full of uncertainty. Ironically, students
who were most effective with skills-based learning often have the hardest time adjusting to
concept-based instruction. In other words, the highest scoring 8th graders often have the
hardest time getting used to Algebra concepts, which they will see in this course. Prepare
accordingly.
Whats At Stake?
This is a high school math class that prepares students for future math and science courses.
This course will also prepare your students for their college placement test. If your student
does not gain the necessary foundational skills taught in this course, it will set your student
up to continue to struggle throughout all high school mathematics courses and beyond. As
such, there is a lot that needs to be learned, and there is absolutely no time to waste.
What If I Cant Stand Math?
What your student encounters difficulties during this course and they will you may be
tempted to point out that you could never stand math as a way of softening the blow.
Dont. If your son, quarterback of the schools football team, made a game-losing fumble,
would you tell him no worries, son, I was always a butterfingers too? Of course not - few
sentences could be more destructive. Yet this is what you do every time you tell your child
that theyre related to someone who doesnt like math. Instead, say to your student the
same thing you would say to the football player: I know you can do it. Keep trying. I believe
in you.
What Can I Do To Help?
Make your student think. Not even math, necessarily any type of complex, critical thought
will do. Whenever you can, ask your student why something is the way it is. Ask why traffic
lights are timed the way they are; why birds have to flap their wings but airplanes do not;
why the hot water is on the left of a faucet, but the hot air the car is on the right. You dont
have to have an answer (the third one has no answer, as far as I can tell), and neither does
your child. But thinking abstractly and logically is the key, not just to mathematics, but to all
higher learning. I can teach your child mathematics in 90 minute a day but only if you
prepare their mind for it.
Whats Next?
Read the Algebra 1 Syllabus that your student received today, review it with your student,
and sign to acknowledge that you have both done so. Complete the parent contact form
I want to be able to deliver good news as well. Ensure you stay on top of your students
grade via the School Max Parent Portal as well the grade reports I will be sending home
every two to three weeks. And keep tabs on your students progress so we can collaborate
to make this year a success. Heres to a great year!
Mathematically,

Cristina King