Author: Janice Marks
Located in: Tucson
Submitted: February 15, 2022
Tell us a little about yourself. I love cooking, traveling, gardening, hiking, and spending time with my family. I love trying new things and have skydived, hang glided, and scuba-dived. I had a career in the software industry, was a stay-at-home mom for my two children, PTA president and fundraiser, math tutor, a math teacher at a top Newsweek-rated charter school, math interventionist, and Page A Day Math founder.
Here are a few things that make me a little different. I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and earned my BA in Business and Economics while living in Israel for 9 years. I represented Israel in the World Taekwondo Championships at Madison Square Garden in 1993, and I speak Hebrew fluently.
What was your motivation behind this project? One afternoon my daughter came off the school bus crying. She told me she “wasn't smart” because she was in the lowest math group.
After talking with her teacher and reviewing an old math assessment my daughter had taken months earlier, I realized two things. First, my daughter didn't know her basic addition, subtraction, or multiplication facts; she scored 30 out of 150 on a math placement test, and secondly, that my children's education was my responsibility. Second, I learned that I needed to take responsibility for my daughter's (and son’s) education. After discovering how behind she was, we began practicing math daily and she caught up quickly. That's where the seeds for Page A Day Math were planted. My daughter’s math fluency increased in just a few months from simple worksheets and games I created.
I learned so much from the experience that I decided to become a math teacher and learn more and more about what students, parents, teachers, school administrators' needs were. I spoke with 100s of students and 100s of parents and heard their requests for help, understood their constraints, looked at the available materials and saw there was a need in the market for a child-paced math fact program that was incremental, cumulative, picturebook-like, and not overwhelming. This new program had to provide the essential repetition children need to cement knowledge, acquire basic math skills, and have confidence. A pencil to paper and handwriting emphasis was also needed to help improve memory, develop good handwriting habits, and writing stamina. I wanted to create a system that children actually wanted to use often that would not require a lot of time. The practice needed to be a no-brainer for busy parents and help them make practice consistent for their young scholars.
The math practice also needed to work for children that were just getting started in preschool, at grade level or excelling, and for students that were struggling too.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? Page A Day Math was created to help parents help their children thrive. I hope parents gain a sense of relief knowing that their children will learn and cement basic math fact knowledge while developing beautiful handwriting and a love of math. Since Page A Day Math is a sequential 10-12 book system in full-color with cute superhero dog characters called the Math Squad, it makes math fun and effective. It's easy for parents to get their children to use it because it has 3500-6500 problems per box, a built-in star reward system, certificates, jokes. It's encouraging and not overwhelming. It can be used at home or at school in conjunction with any curriculum, whether their students are in school or homeschooled.
In order to enjoy math, there is nothing more important than learning basic math facts. Children need consistent practice and repetition for mastery. That is what Page A Day Math provides, 6+ months of easy-to-follow written math practice that children actually want to use.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? I get so much satisfaction in seeing first-hand how students have progressed in math. Watching students that were initially struggling but are now thriving, enjoying math, and feeling confident, is why I do what I do. When I hear how students' confidence and self-esteem have improved continues to motivate me to create new materials.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I was first influenced by my daughter, my younger son, and the 100s of parents I have spoken with and students I have taught.
I was also influenced by my father's teaching style. My dad sat with me for hours helping me with my math homework. He knew how to help me with math and understood developing a love for math at an early age, was important.
Another great source of inspiration came from the BOB Books written by Bobby Lynn Maslen and illustrated by John R. Maslen, Greg Parr's Books and Illustrations, and the 100s of picture books that I read to my children and captivated them.
