With ten minutes left on the clock, I check my answers once again. I look around the Baton Rouge High School canteen to see that most students have already handed in their tests. I flip through my answers one last time before handing the test paper to the Algebra-II test collector. My friend waves at me as I walk outside the canteen. I go over to her and ask her about the test. She says that she thinks she has done well. I am confident about most of my answers too, but I feel like I took too much time to complete the test. When we see students walking towards the theater, we head that way. We sit down with students from our school for the awards ceremony. When the announcers call out the names of Algebra-II winners, I am surprised and elated to hear my name in the first position. The weekend and the night before the …show more content…
I flexed my mathematical muscles by testing my concentration and perseverance. The class comprised of independently timed worksheets increasing in difficulty, homework during holidays, and the tradition of redoing problems until every solution was etched in our minds. Although the class was rigorous, I was presented with the opportunity to respect accuracy and time constraints while honing my mathematical skills.
At Episcopal, I continued to follow my desire of learning mathematical skills beyond the required by participating in math competitions outside of school. As a seventh-grader, I participated in MathCounts and gained experience in competing with middle school mathematicians. In eighth grade, I dug deeper with co-curricular activities and was introduced to the Mu Alpha Theta community in the process. As I started receiving emails about inter-school Math tournaments, my reply was consistent – “I am able to attend the
I sit in a dim lit classroom with my classmates all around. I hear the teacher’s raspy voice say “One minute left to finish”. I am so terrified that I might fail. I can’t fail, I can’t go to the Thinning, my family needs me and I can’t leave Jake. I know he will probably be fine without me and move on with his life, but I still like to think that he would need me. I have one more question, I tell myself. Then I will be done and I don't have to worry about the test until next year. Jake also promised me that tonight we would go out to eat at my favorite restaurant, Louie's Cafe. They make the best cheesecake there. It is my favorite thing ever.
I competed in the MATHCOUNTS competition when I was in the 8th grade. I placed 4th in the regional competition and went on to the state competition (which was held on the NCSSM campus). After the regional competition, I programmed a “Math Fact Teacher” to help me memorize math facts to prepare for the state competition.
“Class,” I announced, “today I will teach you a simpler method to find the greatest common factor and the least common multiple of a set of numbers.” In fifth grade, my teacher asked if anyone had any other methods to find the greatest common factor of two numbers. I volunteered, and soon the entire class, and teacher, was using my method to solve problems. Teaching my class as a fifth grader inspired me to teach others how important math and science is. These days, I enjoy helping my friends with their math homework, knowing that I am helping them understand the concept and improve their grades.
The second part of this memo contains a rhetorical analysis of a journal article written by Linda Darling-Hammond. Interview The following information was conducted in an interview with Diana Regalado De Santiago, who works at Montwood High School as a mathematics teacher. In the interview, Regalado De Santiago discusses how presenting material to her students in a manner where the student actually learns is a pivotal form of communication in the field (Personal Communication, September 8, 2016).
Barr, C., Doyle, M., Clifford, J., De Leo,T., Dubeau, C. (2003). "There is More to Math: A Framework for Learning and Math Instruction” Waterloo Catholic District School Board
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
Many seem to think of mathematics as being nothing more than a series of numbers and formulas that they must learn, in order to pass a particular requirement for their college degree. They rarely, if ever, stop to think about the importance of mathematics and how it actually affects them and the people around them. It is ...
In the days leading up to her graduation, she was so excited about receiving her diploma for her academic accomplishments, even though she hasn’t accomplished a lot in life by experiencing a little bit of it. She felt like the birthday girl with her pretty dress, beautiful hair, and the presents she received from Uncle Willie and her mother. She felt like it w...
However, the lack of failure among students becomes a lesson well learned. For instance, when you make an error in a math problem, there are several ways to prove or resolve the problem correctly. When students form conflicts they can increase their minds by understanding every error they produce constantly. Gardner states, “yet, for most individuals, challenge to a deeply held belief at least compels attentions; and efforts to defend that belief, or to discover a better belief, line the most promising routes toward enhanced understanding” (634). In this segment, Gardner describes students how their struggles can be either secure or exposed into a massive improvement of understanding.
“Class,” I announced, “today I will teach you a simpler method to find the greatest common factor and the least common multiple of a set of numbers.” In fifth grade, my teacher asked if anyone had any other methods to find the greatest common factor of two numbers. I volunteered, and soon the entire class, and teacher, was using my method to solve problems. Teaching my class as a fifth grader inspired me to teach others how important math and science is. These days, I enjoy helping my friends with their math homework, knowing that I am helping them understand the concept and improve their grades.
Wu, Y. (2008). Experimental Study on Effect of Different Mathematical Teaching Methodologies on Students’ Performance. Journal of Mathematics Studies. Vol 1(1) 164-171.
My enthusiasm and the strongly committed teachers I have encountered in my life have attributed to my success in math and science. Prior to going onto ninth grade, my Math classes dating back from middle school were never mentally straining. Math appealed to me because in eighth grade, my math teacher, Dr. Christopher, would encourage her class by recognizing our achievements with small rewards such as candies and ice cream passes during lunch. Her actions sparked my interest in math. I have a natural regard for math and science. By breaking down math problems step by step, I can better understand them. ...
As a secondary subject, society often views mathematics a critical subject for students to learn in order to be successful. Often times, mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for higher learning and certain specific careers. Since the times of Plato, “mathematics was virtually the first thing everyone has to learn…common to all arts, science, and forms of thought” (Stinson, 2004). Plato argued that all students should learn arithmetic; the advanced mathematics was reserved for those that would serve as the “philosopher guardians” of the city (Stinson, 2004). By the 1900s in the United States, mathematics found itself as a cornerstone of curriculum for students. National reports throughout the 20th Century solidified the importance of mathematics in the success of our nation and its students (Stinson, 2004). As a mathematics teacher, my role to educate all students in mathematics is an important one. My personal philosophy of mathematics education – including the optimal learning environment and best practices teaching strategies – motivates my teaching strategies in my personal classroom.
Right now, a buzz is going through the hall in which all the seniors are waiting and they look like bees swarming in the hall. It’s becoming hot and we’re all getting impatient. Amber is more composed and enjoying the good times in the present. She is standing there happy but sad to be dispersing from the rest of her classmates. Ann, the smartest one is having a little fun but not really. Her feelings are that of a person who realizes she’s going to miss what she had, but wanting to get the ceremony over with because it’s taking too long. Standing in that room we are together and enjoying one last real time capturing a picture with each other. Amber’s mom is so proud of her daughter that she keeps talking and smiling and trying to part of every MOMent. Amber is thinking to herself that she wishes her mom weren’t there but she’s ‘happy inside because someone is cooing over’ her. As Ann is standing beside Amber she keeps getting these expressions that say, she likes being with her friends but, ‘what is taking so long? Can’t we get out of these dang robes, yet?’
It was in 2010, when I was still in Vietnam, and coming up was a very hard Transitional Exam from Secondary School to High School, which included a three-part exam: Math, English, and Literature, that all ninth graders, including myself, were very frustrated about. It was the key to open the door to a student’s dream. Because the better the high school you got into, the better education you would get, and the better preparation you would have to increase your chance to get into a great college. For that reason, every student needed to study for the exam with their best efforts.