As a student, I cannot recall the number of times I have felt a sense of anxiety at the mention of math class. I have always found math a little intimidating. I was always one of the last to finish my tests and was always a nervous wreck during those delightful timed multiplication tests. As time went on, I lost a little of that anxiety and just learned to deal with my mediocrity at a subject I really never cared for. I got through math class with a “lets just get this over with” attitude for years until I met Mr. Beckle in junior high. Mr. Beckle taught me to enjoy math and always reminded me that it was alright to make mistakes as long as I learned from them and used them to find the right answers. In 7^th grade, he asked me to be part of a pre-algebra club he had put together. Because he believed in me, I became more confident with my once dreaded subject and even learned to enjoy math. As a future teacher, I often think about ways in which I will help rid my students of anxiety towards math, just like Mr. Beckle did for me. I believe society has taught children to fear math and to view it as a complex mystery. As a future teacher, it is my greatest hope to instill in my students a love, or at least respect and appreciation, towards mathematics. My students will be confident with their mathematical abilities and will view math as a challenging but exciting subject.

One of the most important things for me as a teacher is to allow my students to see relevance in what they are learning. I believe students should be able to relate math to life outside of the classroom. Therefore, through discussion and examples, I will often make connections between the mathematical concepts my students are learning and the real world. I will often invite guest speakers to come and tell my students how math is used in their professions. I will make references to life when I teach a lesson. For example, “knowing the area of your living room will make installing carpet easier, because you will not have to guess how many feet of carpet you will need.” Knowing that they will actually use what they are learning will make my students that much more interested in math.

One way I will inspire my students to enjoy math is by providing them with ample opportunities to just discover math. I believe teachers should always leave room for discovery when teaching math, or any subject for that matter. I will provide many opportunities for my students to discover mathematical concepts and ideas on their own, through group work and interactive activities. For example, when teaching my students about long division, I will give them scenarios and manipulatives and let them see what happens when the remainder still fits into the divisor.

Another thing I will do to get my students excited about math is to add variety to my math lessons and homework. I believe children learn math in numerous ways, therefore, I will ensure that every student understands new concepts by planning a variety of games and activities for every concept I teach. For example, if I am teaching a unit on estimation, I will take my students on a walk around the school, where we will estimate the heights of different objects as a class. For homework during a measurement lesson, I will have my students build models to scale. I will have my students get out of their seats and model 3x2=6. My students will use manipulatives to physically interpret what they learn. Learning math will be a very interactive experience for my students.

Mostly any lesson nowadays can be supplemented with an activity online. I believe the internet is a wonderful math resource and I will use it often in my class. I will find online activities that will reinforce my math lessons for my students. We will use online math games to review math skills for tests. Every now and then, I will ask my students to play a math game online for homework and bring their final score in for a grade. They will use the internet to research famous mathematicians and will report their findings to the class every week. I will create fun and innovative math WebQuests for my students to complete as a project every month. The internet will truly be used as a tool in my math lessons.

In order to get my students to be more comfortable with math, I will frequently remind them that it is okay to make mistakes. I believe math should be learned through trial and error, so I will create a nurturing classroom environment where all my students will know it is okay to make mistakes as long they try and try again. I will allow my students to fix the mistakes on their homework for credit. If they are not able to fix a problem, or if they ever have questions with our lessons, I will always have set times when I will be available for extra assistance and tutoring.

As a teacher, I hope to break down the walls that keep students from enjoying math. I am determined to instill in my students a passion for math. I hope to present math as an intriguing subject that will challenge, but not scare away, my students. I hope that I am able to eliminate the stigma that surrounds math and make bright mathematicians of all students who ever sit in my classroom.