I am taking two math classes today at the local City University of New York. One of the two math classes is Introduction to Statistics. Now, as a music major, I never had to count beyond 64 when I was reading sheet music and even going up to 64 was rare. Needless to say, math and I have never really had a chance to get acquainted. Math stays in his corner and I stay in mine. We sit at different lunch tables and hang with a different crowd. I actually like it this way. I mean, you can't be friends with everybody right? When I decided to take statistics, it wasn't becuase I loved Math and decided to get closer to it. No! I took that class because all the more friendly versions of math were filled.
My statistics professor is one of those people that got lucky when he got tenured. He is a horrible teacher! The class is an Intro class yet he teaches as if we were born statisticians and we are at a Statistics conference. This got me thinking about his teaching style vs. my teaching style. I have four years of teaching experience, He has 24 years of experience. I delight in my students, He acts as if he is allergic to his students. I encourage group work, He truly supports the idea of 1 being a lonely number. I love to answer questions, He gets annoyed when we ask questions. The list can go on and on. I really do believe that he is one of those people that should not be in a classroom. Maybe it's because he's been teaching Statistics or maybe it's because he's been teaching for 24 years but He lost his passion. He no longer delights in his students or the subject he teaches. He seems bored and angry.
I wonder how my students see me? Can they tell that I am still having fun? Can they see how much I care about them and that I only want them to succeed. My statistics teacher may be a very happy man once he leaves the classroom but while he's there he seems miserable! Teaching has lost its spark for him. As a math teacher, you know its time to hang up your equations if you have a room full of 24 students and the highest average in the class is a C. Math isnt for me as Teaching isn't for my Statistics Teacher.
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Oh, Monique...you have my sincerest condolences ;) Statistics was the most difficult math class I ever took. For whatever reason, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I wasn't exactly "allergic" to math, liked algebra and trig a lot, but Statistics and I squared off and he won. Ugghh...
ReplyDeleteWhen I see teachers like this, it makes me wonder what they were like when they first started teaching...was there a change, or were they always that way??? Complacency is the shit kicker of enthusiasm, that's for darn sure.
Personally, I think if you "feel" like you're having fun, then your kids will have more opportunity for fun themselves :)
Monique,
ReplyDeleteYou make some cute references to math as a person, as something you're allergic to, etc. I might choose one of those to focus on...pull it through a bit more.
Also, you might consider how you would teach that math class differently so that your students aren't so "allergic." Might be cute if you were to analyze it like a doctor, come up with a diagnosis and then write out the prescription and treatment plan :) LOL That would be really fun to read :)
Hope this helps!
I guess you can use this blog like a time capsule. In 20 years read this and see if you have turned into your maker. Or you could use it as a reminder to keep up the practices you have and to always analyze yourself as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI really like the compare and contrast method you have elected to use. If you go with Gina's suggestion and come up with a treatment plan, it might be fun to get a "second opinion" with a classmate and use that as part of your diagnoses.
I really like Gina's comment about focusing this paper on comparing it to something else. By "something else" I mean maybe consider writing this paper as if other people besides teachers were reading it. You compared it to an allergy...a lot of people can relate to that. I think you will be able to have a lot more people relate to how you feel if you do this.
ReplyDeleteI am also sorry about your statistics experience. I had a similar experience with Logic. I thought I wouldn't pass the class but my mother gave me some good advice..."if you don't pass you will have to go through it all over again!" That motivated me to do work harder than ever! I went to the professors office hours every day so he knew I was putting in 100% even though I had NO IDEA what I was doing.
Another suggestion: Have you ever had an experience with a teacher like this before? Did you ever break through to that teacher? Maybe you could write about an action plan about how you will try everything to gain something from this class!