top of page

Reflection

I am able to form strong connections with students. Since I am a young adult teaching high schoolers, I have an advantage with being able to relate closer to their current struggles and interests. However, I also understand the struggle of being a human and a student as i am also currently a student. I use this connection to form relationships with students that help make math class a little less stressful. Students understand that they have an adult that is on their side, someone who is rooting for them inside and outside the classroom. Being vulnerable and honest with teenagers helps form connections that push them to want to be better students. This also has helped build a sense of community among my classes. They have mutual respect for their teacher and their peers. 

​

I know I am able to teach and teach effectively, however I am still developing my confidence in who I am as an educator. I have felt like an imposter in my own classroom since I did not study mathematics for my undergraduate degree. I worry my students can feel when I feel the least confident and lose confidence in my ability to teach them effectively. I can anticipate the difference it would make when I gain confidence in my abilities. I started prepping for anticipatory questions before lessons so I can have answers ready and it has helped a lot, but there are always new questions that I have to revisit. It will take time and more practice to allow myself the grace to not have every answer right away, but I am going to continue working towards it.

​

Being an antiracist educator is part of my core teaching beliefs. Before, I did not see how it fit into teaching a math course. However, at this point in my career, it is something that needs to be addressed daily. In my class, we work daily to dismantle the hold that white supremacy has over my students and their education. Students are given ample time to finish work, they are not rushed to finish things or have perfect work. Math is an ongoing process of making mistakes and learning from them, perfectionism has no place in my classroom. Students are represented and see themselves in the coursework. We study mathematicians other than Isaac Newton and we identify that famous mathematicians had racist ideas.

​

How might I engage neurodivergent students in math activities so they feel a sense of accomplishment and not self depreciation?

​

bottom of page