Letters from Future Students

Letters

Hello,

    I was in your grade 10 class this year.  Just in case you're my teacher again in grade 11 or 12, I wanted to let you know that I didn't enjoy the way your taught my class.  Teachers are always looking for feedback right?  

    I don't know why, but your classes were so long.  Maybe I was just not interested in the topics you were teaching.  I did not like the projects and discussion you made us do.  I didn't have anything to say and I don't see the point of these in a math class.  The projects were not very interesting and it took forever for my group to pick a topic.  I also didn't really understand what you were saying most of the time.  Maybe I'm just not good at math.  

Thanks

Hello,

    I was in your grade 12 math class last year and I was the one always sitting at the back.  I wanted to thank you for believing in me even when it took me forever to understanding anything in your class.  I hated math all my life, but because of your class, I hate it a little less now.  My favorite parts of your class were when you talked about how much you love math, when we went outside for class, and of course the fun videos you showed in class.  Though I didn't enjoy it all the time, your mini one-to-one sessions were really helpful!

    I'm in college now, but not in the sciences!  When I was writing a reflection for school about my learning, I thought about your class and all the non-math related things I learned from you.  You cared so much for your students and I could tell you always cared about me and were willing to support me.  You reminded me that any improvement is progress.  At the end of the year, I found the motivation to keep going and even did a little exploring on youtube for math videos!

Thank you so much!

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Reflection:

    I worry that even with the strategies I learned from teacher education, I won't be able to implement them effectively in my classroom.  I didn't like discussion even small groups when I was in high school, so I have reservation about using them in my classroom even though it can open up exploration and promote critical thinking.  I also worry that I won't be clear enough in my explanations, whether it be in a math concept or giving instructions on an assignment.  What I fear most is that because of my ineffective teaching, students will come to believe that they just aren't a "math person".

    I believe that caring student-teacher relationships are essential for good learning and teaching.  From my experience, students are more willing to pay attention and learn when they know the teacher is open, supportive, and caring.  My main goal in the classroom is not to get students to love math, but to explore what math is and get something out of it.  That may include being challenged by problem solving questions or learning to take on a challenge and find a path to the other side.  I want students to try.