I wanted to tell you about my experience with senior math courses throughout high school.
I remember before I would change schools (elementary to middle, middle to high, high to university), teachers would make a point to try and get you line by saying that "oh the teacher won't chase after you for marks and they will just fail you." To me that worried me but I soon found out that teachers definitely do chase you for marks (whether elementary, middle or high school) (though not as much). This sort of gave me a relaxed outlook on really trying in school.
In grade 11 I heard this speech again but for some reason, I really believed it this time. I believe this was due to my parent and family telling me the same sort of thing. When this happened, I started really focusing and trying in school. At the same time, I entered into "Advanced Functions" which was notorious in the school for being hard. For whatever reason the mix of effects from these two things made me really try especially hard in math class. I think that the complicated looking symbols and equations helped this aswell.
I begun really paying attention and doing my homework everyday. This brought my typical 70-75% average every year in math to the highest in the class at 96%. This showed me how powerful homework and paying attention was and I learned through this that math was fun and was just basically puzzles.
This then lead me to enjoy the math and made me want to teach others how fun it could be. This then lead me to here, aiming to become a high school math teacher.
I hope I am able to instill this outlook for my future students.
Thanks for reading, does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?
Maksym Cord
It seems a lot of people make math out to be this intimidating subject, and gets unwarranted hate for this reason. A lot of students can go into a math classroom believing they will be unable to do this level of work, or that they do not have a "math mind," so it's awesome that you were able to remain optimistic and driven.
ReplyDeleteAs for the success in your later years, having that kind of work ethic is highly beneficial, and I also believe you could have been in your zone of proximal development. Having material that is obtainable yet challenging is a great motivation for students, and is that area where they are getting the most out of their potential. It's odd to think some students are not being challenged enough, which can actually hinder their performance in a math class.
I think to instill this outlook, it starts with the instructor's outlook, which you already have. Having an instructor that is passionate about the material makes it easier for the students to become passionate. After establishing a positive and motivated classroom environment, I think all we can do after that is adapt the material to the interests of the students and make sure we are teaching to their needs.