Today I found Chloe's frustration point. I love open middle problems, check them out - they really are awesome, but I chose a problem that was too difficult for Chloe. It was out of her Zone of Proximal Development, which meant tears, screaming, and eventually might mean lose of self esteem/desire to try problems. I too felt close to tears! A big piece of the art of teaching is finding the thin line between what students can do on their own without any support, and what is going to push them to grow and be challenged without hitting frustration.
As parents, we are not over familiar with where the frustration line is with our children. Teachers have been watching and taking data on our children's needs all year, but we have not been there to do that! So have some grace with yourself when you push your child to tears. Now you know where their zone of proximal development is! If your child's teacher has assigned something that pushes them to frustration, know that YOU have the option to modify on the spot because you are the one who can see in person where your child is at and what kind of challenge they need.
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