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Surviving the First Day of Mathematics

 

 
Akash Kataruka. Math 
Retrieved From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/akash_k


Bags packed, calculator packed, and times tables semi-memorized. No matter how prepared I am, I have this overwhelming feeling of fear. "Will I know enough?", "How advanced will this be?", "Will I be able to remember enough?", are all questions at the back of my mind as I am driving to school.  

I have to say that upon entering class, I felt this overwhelming feeling of relief. After briefly speaking with a few of my peers, I realized that allot of other students in my class were asking the same questions, sharing the same fears and just as nervous as me.

My professor had said something during class that really stuck with me, "You don't have to be great at math to be a great math teacher". I must admit, mathematics is not my strongest subject and there have been times in my life where I felt like giving up on math. I am passionate about literature, history and art and never considered myself to be a "math wiz". With this being said, I am passionate about teaching children that mathematics can be fun, engaging and an integral part of our daily lives.

The TED Talk video that discussed new approaches to mathematics really sparked interest in me. It showed me that there are alternative ways to teaching, learning and understanding mathematics. Through a balance of textbooks, manipulatives, visual learning, as well as fun and engaging activities, math can be fun to teach and, in turn, fun to learn.

I look forward to what lies ahead in this course. My hope is that one day I will help foster a passion for mathematics in my future students. For those of my students who will struggle, I hope to be able to guide them, as I too was once guided in my youth.

Cheers!

Ashley


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