Memorable Math Teachers

One of my most memorable math teachers was Mr. P who taught me in grade 11. What I remember most about him were his stories that he brought to math class each day. Some were about his son, some were about his life before coming to Canada and some were about totally random topics. Very few of these stories were related to math but I enjoyed going to math because I knew that I had a teacher who knew how to make us laugh. I must say that his teaching style was not the best. He took a more traditional approach where he would give us a lecture which was followed by class time to work on textbook problems but I came out of it fine because I was able to develop an understanding of the math quite easily.

The following year, I had Mr. I for calculus. He taught us in a way that I had never experienced before. Classes were very interactive and there were times where we were even be using our bodies and voices simultaneously to learn. Lectures, I would say, were non-existent. Even the formal testing I was used to was not present. Our understanding was assessed mainly on our class participation and a few very informal quizzes. I found this teaching style quite interesting and I would say that he succeeded in getting me engaged in the subject matter. I have observed that the lack of formal assessment was a big problem for some students and even some teachers. Students would often question why they got the mark that they got. Furthermore, some students who were very engaged and given high marks were given permission to take courses designed for students showing proficiency in math. There were some cases where students were not preforming well as their math skills were not at the A level which Mr. I had evaluated them to be at. Nevertheless, I believe Mr. I was able to engage his students and encourage us to think in new ways and I will remember him for that.