Student Learning

Teaching can be one of the most challenging, yet one of the most rewarding professions to partake in.  I loved teaching mathematics at Chatelech Secondary and I am pleasantly reminded what kind of affect I had as a mathematics teacher on STUDENT LEARNING.  Let me share a few stories…

When I decided to run for school trustee… my biggest supporters are teachers and former students.  Former students have expressed their support with encouraging FB posts, kind words, and inspirational stories.  Knowing that former students and colleagues believe in me means a lot.

On Facebook, one student wrote that he would not be where he is today without me.  That may sound over dramatic, but I recall that this student was in my Chemistry 11 class who was totally misaligned with his mathematics in terms of course selection and timing.  As a result, we learned Math 10 during lunch.  We spent almost every lunch hour to finish Math 10 on-time.  In the end, we succeed and he pursued an post-secondary education and successful career in business.

I met another student at a professional development workshop.  She is a pre-service teacher.  She told me that she attended one of my math classes.  Although she seemed familiar, I could not remember her in Math 12.  With further discussion, it turned out that she completed her Math 10 in my Math 12 class.  There was no place for her to go and I invited her to be in my Math 12.  She remembers this gesture and me helping her.  She expressed infinite gratitude.

My last story I would like to mention is one of a Grade 12 student.  I am currently tutoring this student and I was preparing for a mathematics workshop to be presented at the October 2011 BCAMT provincial conference.  I was looking at old pictures of a summative review game called, “YH’s Math 12 Olympiks.”  We played this game in the foyer, making the review game not just a class-wide event, but a school-wide event.  What surprised me was that this student remembered cheering for her favorite team in Grade 8… The Purple Co-tangents. 

These are just a few stories that has been brought to my attention in the last month.  I had fun teaching mathematics… and guess what?  The students had fun learning mathematics too.  As you can see, student learning is my FIRST PLATFORM in my school trustee campaign.  LEARNING IS FUN… Teachers matter… The positive affect can be direct or indirect.  Student learning matters.