Math Night at the Commissary brings students, family together

The Fort Jackson Commissary became a de facto mathematics lab for C.C. Pinckney Elementary School during its annual Math Night at the Commissary event, held Jan. 22.

“This helps with their basic math skills,” said Paula Favor, second grade teacher at C.C. Pinckney Elementary School. “It helps them with their additions and subtractions and even bleeds over into multiplications … it builds a foundation to help them do other (math) skills.”

Math Night at the Commissary incorporates hands on learning to strengthen a student’s learning. Each student faced a series of problems based on their grade level.

“When we put it into real world situations it becomes real to the student,” Favor said. “When they can visualize it, it’s no longer an abstract kind of thing, they can actually conceptualize what it is and see it in their mind. Sometimes when we are teaching them, they can’t really see it and its hard for them to understand. When they actually see the products and see the prices they internalize (mathematics) more.

“It brings the real world into the classroom. So, the math they are learning now will be able to be used when they go into the real world.

Math Night isn’t just a student only affair, their parents were encouraged to attend as well.

Staff Sgt. Alan Mills, with Fort Jackson’s Dental Activity, was there with his son Alan.

“This is a way for my child to get a grasp of real world and math at the same time and I really appreciated it,” he said.

It can be hard at times for parents, especially dual military parents, to be a part of your child’s development while also increasing the family’s bond, he said.

Favor said it’s really important for families to take part in their child’s education because “we are only part of the team and parents make up the other half of team. Together we help our students to be successful.”