Written by Julian Spearman, Student Activities
George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Academy is now the number one Dallas ISD middle school is the number one Dallas ISD middle school, according to the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association.
Lorelei Nguyen, a TMSCA coach at Dealey, encourages students to look at room for improvement and learn from their mistakes rather than competing against one another. In turn, they had less anxiety and performed better.
“Consistent practice and a focus on growth are most important to success. Another thing I do is make growth the focus of their grade,” said Nguyen. “Students need to meet or beat their average practice test scores in order to do well in the class.”
Middle school students must qualify to compete at the state level for TMSCA, and for Nguyen, the value in the program is allowing students to meet a goal they set through diligence and motivation.
“Every year, I watch friendships get forged at TMSCA meets, sometimes even across schools, between like-minded students who purely love math and science,” she said. “I make sure that our students’ wins are in our school announcements and newsletters so they get to feel like rockstars.”
Initially, students participate in clubs like TMSCA to be with their friends and don’t join with the mentality that they excel at math or science. The reward, Nguyen says, is when her students score well on tests and their confidence blooms.
