Feature article

Math-letes can count on Sprague

Article by Tammy Lane
March 5, 2008

  Paul Sprague, who teaches sixth-grade math at Morton Middle School, has coached a team in every local MATHCOUNTS competition for the past 25 years.
  “It’s a barrel of laughs,” he said. “I love it.”
  Through the years, Sprague has dealt with various personalities – some students love head-to-head competition with their teacher, while others spend part of their MATHCOUNTS practice time playing chess.
  “It’s coaching of the mind,” said Sprague, who also has coached football, track, swimming, golf and other sports either at Morton or at the high school level. “It’s challenging as a coach. … You get a whole different child.”
  He also has seen various reactions to winning at MATHCOUNTS: from cheering to breaking down in tears.
  “When you get them up to state level when they start winning scholarships to college, it’s very exciting for an eighth-grader,” he said.
  Sprague helps students practice and prepare for both the quick-recall and the sit-down MATHCOUNTS tests.
  “Sometimes we come in and just let off steam,” he said, noting that students can be swamped with regular schoolwork. “You have to know when to push them and when to let up. You don’t want to burn the kid out.”

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