MAED 314 'Timed-write' exercise

6 min. Timed-Write:
Prompt: "2 most memorable math teachers"

"My most memorable math teacher was in grade 12. He was a young guy much like I will be in my first year. I believe he taught us in his first year, although he didn't dare reveal that to us. He was very friendly, considerate and pensive. He had a great answer for most questions and on questions where he didn't, he would ponder it and return triumphantly the next class with the answer/solution. I admired his love of math (and physics) and appreciated his relaxed attitude/philosophy on everything. He also had great demonstrations, I learned a lot.

My second most memorable math teacher was in grade 11. No surprise there. She taught me/trained me to write out all my steps in a solution. Up until grade 11, I used to solve problems only in my head. She helped me show my work... something essential for university! Also, she had us do yoga at the beginning of each math class, which at the very least helped us focus but probably gave us a better perspective also. Very cool!"


In looking back on this 'timed-write', I'm amazed that I didn't chose to focus on a math teacher that I hadn't enjoyed. Although, having succeeded at math, I suppose that I would have survived even bad math classes without much trouble. This exercise has helped remind me of how these math classes had been conducted and I know that as a math teacher, I will incorporate some of their styles whether I know I using them or not. But I feel confident that these teachers have prepared me and given me a model to follow in my teaching, and I'm excited!