Ironically, my favourite Math teacher didn't directly teach me any math, and my least favourite Math teacher illuminated my path to becoming a teacher.
My favourite math teacher was Mrs. Kepke in the 7th grade. About one month into the school year, she noticed that I wasn't very engaged in her Math lessons, but routinely performed very well on assignments and quizzes. After class one day she asked me if I found Math class too easy. I said yes, but I didn't expect anything to come of it -- after all, the rest of the class was being adequately challenged. The next week, she called a meeting with two of my classmates and our parents and suggested we start a self-guided study of the Math 8 curriculum. I was shocked, to say the least, but the next day my two classmates and I made our way into a little office to start our independent study of the Math 8 textbook, while the rest of our class continued their Math 7 studies. This acknowledgement of my aptitude and the subsequent adjustment was monumental for me. It validated my abilities and granted me autonomy over my learning. I have Mrs. Kepke to thank for my early confidence and curiosity in Math.
My least favourite Math teacher was Ms. McTaggart in Pre-Calculus 11. She did not want to be in that classroom. She was fresh out of the teaching program with teachable subjects in Biology and Chemistry, and it was very apparent that this class had been forced upon her. Before class, she would watch a YouTube video on the textbook chapter and take notes. (Once she was even still watching the video when class was supposed to start). She'd then rewrite the notes 5 minutes later with the rest of the class and assign a subset of textbook questions. She fell into a very traditional and formulaic approach to teaching Math. However, I had been oriented in a mathematical way of thinking by my previous teachers, so Pre-Calculus 11 was rather intuitive for me. I caught on to concepts quickly and found myself explaining questions to my classmates. Eventually, halfway through the school year, I was doing example problems at my desk with my peers crowded around me as I re-explained the topics in a way that made sense to them. And they got it! Through this experience, I began to see teaching as a viable career option for me. As I learned the material I continued to teach it to my classmates. While Ms. McTaggart was not a positive presence in that class, she was instrumental in my journey to becoming a teacher.
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