ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orange County Public Schools math teacher is turning learning into a slam dunk by combining her two passions: education and basketball. Jennifer Lopez teaches fourth grade at Stonewyck Elementary School and has developed what she calls “Magic Math.”
“So Magic Math has to do with the Magic. I tried to find something that they all are comfortable discussing. So basketball, they all play basketball. They you know, they’ve seen it before. And then I link it to something outside the classroom. So it’s something that they’ll go home and they’ll hear about the Orlando Magic. So they’re able to kind of link what they learn here to something outside the classroom,” said Lopez.
“I have students who are telling me ‘I watch the game with my dad.’ I have parents messaging me with, they have they’re sitting in the living room and it’s grandma and the sister and the mom. And here they’re watching the Magic game,” Lopez added. “So it’s something, again, that they were able to take out of the classroom into the home. So we recently went to the Jan. 12 game and parents were there and the kids were very excited to participate in that. So it was a family experience that they were able to connect to the classroom.”
Lopez creates lessons and problems using statistics from Magic games, with all of the lessons aligning with Florida fourth-grade standards.
“It is work. I always say, ‘you know, I was a project manager for 14 years in New York, and being a teacher doesn’t feel like work to me.' This is what I love to do. So yeah, it does take a little bit of extra planning. We’re lucky that the district has some great plans. So sometimes I’ll see a problem and I’m like, OK, let me throw some Magic stuff in there. And it’s just a matter of switching things. But we do stick to those standards. But we have the autonomy to get creative with it,” she said.
Not only do students love the creativity, but it also caught the attention of the Orlando Magic. Coach Jamahl Mosley and Stuff surprised the students with a visit.
“He sat down, he did math with the students. Stuff signed our board. I am not allowed to erase the board. He really took the time to share with the students,” said Lopez.
Ane Principal Lee Parker says Magic Math is getting results.
“We see the results in our common assessments, as well as our state assessments, the Florida standards assessments. We definitely see their growth,” he said.
Lopez posts about Magic Math on her Instagram account. You can follow along at @mrsjlomagicmath.
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