1. Why did you become a math teacher?
I’ve always liked math. I really enjoy doing it and I knew that I could teach it. I like working with kids and I figured I could make a career out of it. I knew I didn’t want to teach elementary school because I didn’t want to be responsible for teaching all the subjects. Math is what I feel comfortable with, so teaching 6th grade was perfect for me.
2. What made you want to teach this age group?
Well, as I said, I didn’t want to teach elementary school because I only wanted to teach math, but I didn’t really want to teach older grades because they get mouthy. 6th grade was perfect for me! Another reason I wanted to teach middle school math is that I always struggled with math in middle school. It was awful for me. I dreaded it. I wanted to be the person who could be there for those students and give them a positive experience with math. I wanted them to have a better outlook than I did at that age.
3. What do you find to be the most challenging part of your job?
Keeping students engaged and on task can be, at times, the most difficult part of being a teacher. You have to come up with new ways to engage them and keep them focused on learning, especially at the end of the day when all they can think about is going home.
4. What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
When the kids are learning something, when they finally understand something, when I see that “Ah-ha!” moment, I realize that it is all work it. I love to see them
The pathway of teaching revealed itself to me in high school, but that was not the aisle I want to go down at the time. At Clark High School, there is a magnet program known as Teacher Education Academy at Clark High School (T.E.A.C.H.), but I was not in this specific magnet program since I had no plan of becoming a teacher. The magnet program I was in at Clark High School was Academy of Math, Science, and Applied Technology (A.M.S.A.T.), and despite there being a mathematic course within the program and me wanting to become a math teacher presently, I was in the science lane. My previous ambition was to become a scientist that would aid finding a cure for cancer and make a change in the world. Despite seeking the science side of things, I have always been good at math and I had my wonderful high school math teachers Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Arquette to thank for that.
Engaging students in the classroom can be a difficult task. Understanding the process of how students learn can help a teacher adapt the lesson to meet the needs of all students. I will encounter students that are not intrinsically motivated so I will need to find different ways to motivate each and every student. Understanding how my students learn can provide me with insights as to how to help each student learn which will minimize classroom management problems.
Upon first entering college, I struggled deciding at such a young age what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through babysitting and volunteering with pre-school aged children at my church and through a school program called STARS, it became evident to me I had a love for helping children. It fascinated me to see how they viewed the world around them and how quickly they learned new truths everyday. Nevertheless, I knew I would not get the full enjoyment interacting with children as a schoolteacher because the teacher to student ratio is so large. Classroom demands would make it much more difficult to devot individualized attention to each student, and I did not like that concept. So
Becoming a middle school teacher changed how I felt about what kind of teacher I want to be. When I graduated from college in 2009, I was sure that I wanted to be a 4th or 5th grade teacher. I had student taught in 5th grade, and I really enjoyed it. I immediately began applying for elementary teaching positions. Thankfully, a position opened up in the district I lived in, student taught in, and where my children attended school. I was so excited because a position was open in 5th grade! I could work with the teacher I student taught with, in the grade I student taught in.
I want to be a middle school teacher because I want to not only be a teacher, but I want to be a mentor, a role model, and someone my students feel that they can trust during those vulnerable times as they are experiencing emotional,
Current research on young adolescent student motivation shows that the teacher must; make the lesson connect to the outside world as much as possible, let the students decide where they sit or what project to work on, guide the student rather than tell them the way, and be someone the student can trust and depend on. Teachers must motivate their students to become better and more engaged within the classroom by using techniques that allow the student to develop their own sense of motivation.
I also enjoy math, but I don't know if I could teach middle to high school. I have also always loved working with kids because they are mostly happy and have a great imagination. I have always wanted to play volleyball, but I never did in middle or high school because I was always too caught up in being with my friends. Good luck with school!!
What challenges are you looking for in this position?Everyday is a challenge.Trying to get students to see they’re successful.
You expressed your love for your work. Can you tell me what is your typical day like at work (requirements of a job, work skills and patterns, accessibility)?
In junior High School, things started to turn around for me. Although I was still placed in lower level classes, I developed a love for learning. In the years to come from Junior High to High School, I had a strong urge to make up for lost time. One class I started to excel in was the one I used to have the most trouble with, Mathematics. It seemed as though the once boring and complex equations now seemed meaningful and simple. As I progressed into 8th grade, I was able to advance to normal classes. I felt that the hard work I put in was finally paying of. At this point, I felt that I could handle a higher level. At the end of 8th grade, I took the necessary procedures and tests to try and get into honor - level courses in 9th grade. After taking a summer course of Algebra 1 and several tests I was able to succeed and take the classes. The experience was great. I felt that I was finally going the right direction
I have always had a passion for mathematics. Outside of school, I did sudokus, measured my entire house, made graphs, and even created my own problems to explore mathematics. I would do all of my work, including tests, without a calculator just to challenge myself and do more math. As the concepts increased in difficulty, the subject became even more fun for me. The dedication and creativity required in advanced mathematics have only empowered my enthusiasm for mathematics. The problem-solving within mathematics and the love I had for the subject inspired me to become a teacher.
What makes an effective mathematical educator? What knowledge and skills are required to teach the mathematical concept of patterns effectively? Are educators impacting the development of children’s understanding of patterns? This essay will embody the skills and knowledge required to be an effective educator of mathematics and the concept of patterns. It looks and the role of an educator in the development of a child’s understanding of patterns in the classroom setting. It explains the need for an educator to have a positive attitude towards mathematics and patterns as children are very perceptive and negative attitudes and feelings can be transferred to the students we are teaching.
This report follows the progress of an eight year old, grade three child’s progress, through a mathematical diagnostic assessment pertaining specifically to number placement, and proceeds through the relevant stages of mathematical learning, mapping the strategic points involved in teaching mathematics whilst following the progress of the child, and the areas with which they required improvement.
My math teaching experience went with students who are in third grade. In my group I had four students, where was one ELL student. They were struggling in math as per their teacher, especially in subtracting big numbers with zeroes. I had to reteach subtraction, three or two digit number, as needed, from three digit number. And concentrate on subtractions from zeroes.
My motivation for being a teacher comes from somewhere deep within my heart and soul. I love children. I love the look that comes across their faces when they finally grasp a concept after they have been trying to truly understand it. I had a lot of teachers that made an impact on me and I want to have the same impact on as many children as possible. My teachers installed a love of learning in me. There is no better profession than teaching for those who want to learn. One is learning just as much from their students, if not more, than what they teach. Teaching is rewarding and involves making the world a better place. That is my calling. To change the world, one person at a time, by showing love to each and every person I meet. Weather it be one of my students or one of their parents, I want to be Christ’s light just like my teachers were for me. I want to be the support system that shows each and every one of my students that they can do anything they put their mind to. Not only can they shoot for the stars, but they can shoot far beyond. After all, I was once just a kid from a small farm town that no one knows about. Now I’ve been on 4 mission trips, I travel all around, and I moved half way across the country to chase my dreams. I am here because I was impacted by my high school history teacher/ musical director, Mr. Wittig. He pushed me to chase my dreams and to follow my heart and not to let anything get in my way. I want to share what I have with every child I can,