If your child got a B in GCSE maths...

[treasureisland]

...would you tell them that they are 'not very good at maths' ?

I presume that failure in it comes from either having it explained poorly or presented in a tedious fashion

I am a maths teacher, I may or may not present the subject poorly, or in a tedious fashion.

However a recent anonymous feedback survey from my students suggested otherwise, with 100% agreeing or strongly agreeing that they were making progress in my classes.

And yet, I will still have hard working students who will fall below the coveted 'C' grade.

I think you presume incorrectly.

There must be a back story. What's the aibu bit?

I'm not sure how anyone can say that maths comes naturally to anyone.

because i found maths easy peasy, whereas english really really hard.

I got a B in maths, in fact I got Bs in most subjects, so no I would not tell them that.
I managed fine with my grades, though I did not attempt maths A-level, I did a job where maths was used daily. I guess it depends on their future plans. But what will telling them they are bad at maths achieve?

dora I promise you it comes naturally to some people. My granddad left school at 13. His notebooks were shown to a uni lecturer friend, after his death,, who declared him a genius and spent yonks checking all his equations which were perfect.
My attendance during gcse years was under 20%, I didn't do any studying and still got an a*gcse a year early. Even my silliest cousins have As. It comes naturally.

I'll have to take your word for it, partial. I don't know your methods or your pupils. I was always under the impression that a teacher's job was to teach pupils who couldn't master a subject to do just that. In fact, mine did. But, I'm willing to be corrected on that.

Maths comes really, really easily to some people. There are quite a few of them living with me and I get to observe it first hand!

I suppose it depends on what we mean by coming naturally, then. Of course someone surrounded by good tuition is far more likely to succeed than someone without any.

so is it time to start the book, on who said this?

MIL 1:2
EX 1:10
PIL 1:10

Dora, that comes across as very unkind. There are some people who, no matter how good the teaching, cannot get a b grade at 16. With application, they may have time to learn as they get older. Dismissing them as just badly taught is very unfair to their parents and teachers. Though no doubt some children are badly taught, and don't get a b grade when they could.

Overheard on the bus is my guess.

Teacher 1:20
Smug, insufferable mum at school gates 1:2

Maths came easily to my son who got his degree in it. My daughter got a B at GSCE - she excelled at the written subjects! However, the B is a bone of contention, because at the time the horrible maths teacher (she was) refused to let her attempt the higher maths paper which meant a B was as good as she was ever going to get. This was despite getting level 7 sats. I have never forgiven said Maths teacher.

I found maths easy up until I did my masters degree in a maths related subject - then I suddenly found it very difficult. Having a great teacher helps but once you hit the maths wall then it's probably best to specialise in something else. A 'B' a gcse isn't great but its more than the all important 'C' grade.

I got told not to attempt A level maths with less than an A at GCSE. I got an A* and found it much harder than I'd anticipated.

I found Maths at GCSE a breeze, got an A, did it at A Level and it was fucking awful. I passed, but just. Our teacher warned us prior to A Level that it was harder than Degree level.

Im still naturally capable of mathematical thinking, all these years later, where as I struggle in many other areas.

I would be really happy if my DCs went on to get a B in their GCSEs.

Don't know if it's still the same but when I did my gcse's (12 years ago :-( ) the highest grade you could get if you were doing the lower paper was a 'B' higher paper was obviously different.

I'm not sure how anyone can say that maths comes naturally to anyone.

It came naturally to me! I still think its really unfair that I got better a grade than my sister even though she worked much harder than me.

To answer the OP, I defo wouldn't say that to a child who got a B.

Tanaqui, I think I know what you mean. I've heard of parents in tears because they just can not get a concept over to their child, having tried counters, beads, cardboard models, and heaven knows what else. I've never met such a child. So, I might be being unfair to both teachers and parents. That's true. I can only talk about the children I've learned with and the teachers that I've had.

Come back OP.

sorry for disappearing, school run! was a mother to adult child - revieved wisdom being that said adult child is 'not very good at maths'

I'll have to take your word for it, partial.
Or you could just say that you think I am fibbing.

I was always under the impression that a teacher's job was to teach pupils who couldn't master a subject to do just that.
I have always been under the impression that my job was to help pupils reach their potential.

I got a B for GCSE maths (many years ago now) and I'm alright at maths but really not a natural mathemetician and it wasn't my strongest subject so yabu I think. It is relative to achievement/ ability elsewhere.

It's all about context. It might not be very good compared to parental expectations or to the schools' previous results. And it might be a poor result for that particular student - if some gets clean sweep A*s and then a B in Maths, it probably means they aren't very good at Maths according to their general ability.

But as a standalone question: Is someone who got a B in Maths poor at the subject? I'd say "no, not bad".

I don't really understand that. Because, if you teach them to master a new discipline then their potential has changed. Perhaps my first impression was the correct one after all.