Math-ish

I love books....they inspire me in amazing ways. 
If you read this book you most likely would not think about math at all...but I connected with it in a way that I felt could help me reach my budding 1st grade mathematicians.  Let me share my thoughts with you.

This book's main character, a small boy named Ramon, loves to draw.  He did his best for someone his age. He loved the process of creating.

And then the bad thing happened. Ramon's older brother laughed at his attempts and Ramon's love for drawing changed. 

Ramon decides to quit. But then the lovely thing happens.  His little sister takes him to her room where she has put up all of the drawings that he had thrown away.  She tells him that they are all very close to what he hoped that they would look like. They are "ish".

And Ramon's heart soars.  He sees them in a new light. He sees that his attempts were good enough. They were indeed "close" to perfect. He decides that he will continue to persevere. 

So you are thinking...what has this to do with math?
Well, I'll tell you.  I am working very hard to develop mathematicians.  Children who understand how numbers work and who realize that there are many ways to solve math problems. And that attempts and the struggles in getting there are just as important as the right answer.

I am calling it being "math-ish".  And the kids seemed to love this.  I read the book to them yesterday and today while solving number stories we practiced getting there any way we could and on our own timing.  I hope this will help all of my students stress less about getting the "right answer" in math.  
Persevering through problem solving and trying more than one way is what builds success in anything in life.  Let me know your thoughts about this post!