My First Semester

Although this was after Winter Break, my most memorable mentorship moment was actually this past Friday. This day was like a regular Friday where I give the class a brain teaser. This brain teaser was not very easy but was not very hard. There were so many students that were so close to the final answer, but no one was getting it. Right before I was about to stop and go over the answer, four girls came up to me and all of them had it correct. This great thing about this brain teaser was that the entire class was more involved in it than ever. However, what made this moment the most memorable was that, to my surprise, I was the most comfortable I had ever been when I was explaining the answer. The right words seem to spill out of my mouth in a way that everyone understood the explanation. This moment made me realize how much I enjoy teaching and being in front of a class.
The biggest lesson I've learned this semester is that a teacher has so many responsibilities, jobs, and duties. Not only do teachers teach, which I have learned takes a lot of practice to master, but they are also constantly grading, dealing with the special needs of every student, and following guidelines from the county's board of education. They also try to be involved with school activities outside of the classroom, all while trying to raise a family. The lesson that I have learned is that teaching takes a very long time to master and perfect.
So far through this program, I have seen how hard I have to work and what I have to work on to become a great mathematics professor. I will use what I have learned so far to push me towards reaching my goals. This first semester has made me realize that I am pursuing something that I really enjoy doing and that teaching is something that I can learn to be very good at.

Final Project Proposal

• What do I want to know?
• I want to know what makes a great mathematics teacher and how to become one.
• My current essential question:
• Examine how beginning teachers develop into great teachers, and explain why many beginning teachers can struggle when controlling a classroom for the first time.
• What other tools will best showcase your project?
• A lesson plan on how to become a great mathematics teacher and an instructional video would help showcase my project and research.
• What will I do for "real inquiry"?
• Interview current mathematics teachers at a middle school, high school, and maybe college level would provide great information for my project and also lead me towards further questions.