Teaching Philosophy
During my senior year of high school in my AP Calculus class I was sitting and thinking to myself, “When am I ever going to need this?!” I was always a good math student but never thought I would pursue a career in it. Headed into college at Michigan State University knowing I wanted to work with students and make a difference in their lives, I was still unsure of a career choice. After tutoring through one of my courses, teaching found me. I finally knew, I wanted to teach and I wanted to teach mathematics. It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. As I advance further and further on this journey to build a teaching career I know this is exactly what I am meant for. My experience thus far has shown me that you never know when you are going to need math even when you never thought you were going to use it!
One day this year, I had launched a task for one of my Algebra 2 classes and started them working in pairs. I walked around the room and a student called me over. She had been working hard all semester but was so behind in math that she was struggling and not succeeding in the class. She asked me if her work was right, and looking at her work it was! Something for that day was clicking. For the rest of the class she was getting questions right and I could see the excitement in her eyes. I had never seen her get this excited about math all semester. This energy carried her right to the quiz in that chapter. I was working with her after school and she started doing all of her homework. I graded her quiz and she only missed three points! Seeing her face light up when I handed her quiz back and her new confidence in math, even if it was just for that moment, was the most rewarding feeling. Knowing that she was able to have this discovery mostly on her own was even better. Teaching is all about giving the students the tools to succeed and showing every student that they are capable of doing math and are capable learners.
I also believe the best way students can learn math is by exploring it themselves. Math is learned through discussion and exploration. Creating a classroom setting where students are comfortable discussing the mathematics especially with their peers is extremely important. By talking about the material students are able to gain a deeper understanding rather than just procedural knowledge. Interacting with the material brings a subject that many students struggle with to life. In summary, I am very passionate in my belief that every person needs mathematics. I believe that outstanding math teachers can break down their mathematics thinking to the level of his or her students while connecting the material to real context in their audience’s lives. I believe that students do best when they have a clear vision of the importance and value of the material. Finally I believe that skills learned in a math classroom can be applied across many other subjects and aspects of life.
One day this year, I had launched a task for one of my Algebra 2 classes and started them working in pairs. I walked around the room and a student called me over. She had been working hard all semester but was so behind in math that she was struggling and not succeeding in the class. She asked me if her work was right, and looking at her work it was! Something for that day was clicking. For the rest of the class she was getting questions right and I could see the excitement in her eyes. I had never seen her get this excited about math all semester. This energy carried her right to the quiz in that chapter. I was working with her after school and she started doing all of her homework. I graded her quiz and she only missed three points! Seeing her face light up when I handed her quiz back and her new confidence in math, even if it was just for that moment, was the most rewarding feeling. Knowing that she was able to have this discovery mostly on her own was even better. Teaching is all about giving the students the tools to succeed and showing every student that they are capable of doing math and are capable learners.
I also believe the best way students can learn math is by exploring it themselves. Math is learned through discussion and exploration. Creating a classroom setting where students are comfortable discussing the mathematics especially with their peers is extremely important. By talking about the material students are able to gain a deeper understanding rather than just procedural knowledge. Interacting with the material brings a subject that many students struggle with to life. In summary, I am very passionate in my belief that every person needs mathematics. I believe that outstanding math teachers can break down their mathematics thinking to the level of his or her students while connecting the material to real context in their audience’s lives. I believe that students do best when they have a clear vision of the importance and value of the material. Finally I believe that skills learned in a math classroom can be applied across many other subjects and aspects of life.