Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SOUTH JORDAN — If there's one thing students don't like nearly as much as year-round classes, it just might be math.
"It's just confusing to me. All those rules and stuff,” said Dylann Campbell, a sixth-grade student at Daybreak Elementary in South Jordan.
Most students will name almost anything other than math when you ask them what their favorite subject is.
But, at Daybreak Elementary in South Jordan, you’ll start hearing math more than you used to.
"I like math,” said sixth-grader Allison McIntyre. “It comes pretty easy to me.”
“I like it because it challenges me and makes my brain think,” said sixth-grader Taylor Paschal.
Maybe their answers were because their principal was there as we asked them questions about math.
Or, maybe it was because of a new addition to their school stairs.
The stairs are being called math stairs because of multiplication equations and answers printed in red, white, and blue on the front of each step.
"The kids really enjoy that it looks more artistic than just black stairs, but also learning as they're going up,” said Daybreak Elementary interim principal Kristie Howe. “It’s been great. There's some students who feel a lot more confident in their multiplication facts now.”
Students walk up and down these stairs often enough during school days that some of the equations are bound to set in.
"Because you see them and then you memorize it because you see the answer. It just helps me learn,” Paschal said.
The school decided on multiplication because, for the most part, it’s a math equation that should be memorized.
"You can't necessarily count on your fingers for multiplication. You have to know it. It's easier to know the facts right off the top of your head,” Howe said.
The math stairs have been up for about two months now after a local business owner saw something similar in Atlanta and figured it was a good idea for this school.
"That's the whole point. With a small business in this community, you want to be in the community and help the community as much as you can,” said Rich Goodloe, who owns the Riverton UPS store.
So far, students say the stairs are helping.
"Yeah it does because when I go up the stairs and back down, then I can memorize them,” Campbell said.
"When I walk up the stairs, it's just really cool because sometimes I try to test myself and see if I can remember all of them,” McIntyre said.
It is a unique way to try and get students to learn, because as most of us know, when it comes to math anything helps.
Contributing: Stuart Johnson
