To me, meeting them where they are, essentially means meeting them at the point where they are struggling and helping them get to where they are. Not every student learns at the same pace, so meeting the student where they are can help when they are struggling. For example, a student might be stuck on understanding their multiplication tables. The other five students next to him might have mastered their multiplication, but that student hasn’t. In this case, I would understand the reason behind why the student is not understanding multiplication, meet them at the level that they are at, and then help them take the next step to mastering that skill. Meeting them where they are doesn’t always mean learning skills like multiplication or reading. It could also mean meeting the student in other skills like communication or being respectful. As a teacher, we need to understand that not all students gain those skills right away. So in order to help them, we need to put ourselves in their shoes, go down to their level and understand where they are at that moment. Then as a teacher, we need to know the right steps to take to help them improve and learn from whatever level they are at.
