When I started school I had no clue what I was going to major in. I went in completely blind and tried to follow my heart. I loved math and kept taking math courses as electives, my friends thought I was crazy...my family knew that I was. After Calculus 1 it hit me and I realized how much I wanted to help others love and learn math. Ever since, my future has been known. After 7 years I now only have this semester and my student teaching left until I graduate with my Bachelors degree in Mathematics/Statistics Composite Education. I have chosen jobs along the way that have prepared me to become a math teacher. I was a math tutor at USU for three years, a substitute teacher for just over a year (mainly in high school math class), and now I am spending my days at the High School as a math tutor. I LOVE it! I love the students, I love the math, I love the entire atmosphere. I can't wait for my future to become reality for me...and it's just around the corner. :)
My family is my everything. I said before, my husband is amazing, he is my best friend and my greatest support. While I am at school, he is home helping with laundry, cleaning, homework, dinner, baths, blow drying hair, singing bedtime songs, reading stories, and so much more...and this is after a full days work. He is incredible...I am one lucky girl. We have four children and they are fabulous! Each one is completely different and I love them all for their differences. This year was an interesting year...my first baby started High School and my last baby started Kindergarten. My oldest is 15 and my tiny little one is now 5. Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done and also the most worth it. I keep very busy between late night baseball and softball games, football, dance, family movie nights, glow in the dark wiffle ball games in the street, shopping with my girls, dates with my best friend, and so much more. Life is good.
This picture was taken back in the Spring of 2012 when I earned my associates degree. I can't wait to see how different this picture looks when I earn my bachelors degree next year (my family is literally growing up during my schooling).
I looked up the exact definition for literacy. The definition means two things. First, literacy is the ability to read and write. Second, literacy is the competence and knowledge in a specific area. For math, both definitions are important. Math is not simply numbers, there is so much reading and writing. It is extremely important for students to understand mathematical terminology so that they can understand what they are learning and know how and when to use each concept. Also literacy in mathematics means the knowledge and successful ability to "do" math. Every math student should leave from math class with a greater literacy for math...this is my goal. I hope for all my future students that I can instill within them a desire to learn math, a greater confidence in themselves to try, and a more positive attitude about math in general. I hope to math learning math fun.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteYour enthusiasm for mathematics definitely shines through in this blog posting, and I have no doubt that it will shine through for your students as well! It is great that you have been providing one-on-one tutoring to high school students...that experience will help you understand students' areas of difficulty when you have your own classroom.
Your family is beautiful, and I'm sure that second picture of you with your Bachelors degree will look just as good as the first, if not better. :)
Thanks for your first posting and I look forward to reading more of your thoughts as the semester progresses.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post! I was never one of those students that loved math. I've always admired other students in my classes that are going into math education because it, like you said, is not simply numbers!
I am excited to read about your thoughts throughout the semester. I am looking forward to seeing your ideas and methods of how to allow students to develop their math literacy.
Thanks for sharing!
Kelli
Your post is adorable, just like your family! I admire the dedication you have for finishing your degree and goal! I cannot even imagine how hard it would be to go to school and have a family. My husband and I are in school as well and I keep thinking how would we do this if we had a child?! Luckily he will graduate with his master's this semester. I will graduate the semester after you.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very cool that you are already in the high school environment. That gives you a taste of what it will be like when you have your own classroom. What makes it cool is that you love it so much! Your enthusiasm for teaching is very contagious and refreshing. It is nice to see someone is doing something that they love!
Your are so close to being finished, congrats!
-Hillary
Hi Megan!
ReplyDeleteWe are of one heart and one mind. I love math and I would love to spread that love to others. I was approached by one of the engineering professors here on camps and was trying to convince me to come to the "Dark Side". I had a good laugh at this and said without math teachers there would be no engineers! I know that we will never convince them to love the math we do, but at least show then that it isn't anything to be hated and feared, like the plague.
-Terri
I really enjoyed reading your blog and getting to know you better. It was great to meet you last Monday as well. I can't believe that you took math as electives, so it was meant to be that you should decide that for your major. What a fun journey you have had with going to school and deciding what you wanted to major in. Your kids are adorable. See you on Monday.
ReplyDeleteI can totally sympathize with your feelings of being worn out from school. I spent six years on my first degree and I am in my ninth year as of now. I am really ready to be done and try something new with life.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you said that you took math as electives. I don't know how someone can claim to enjoy math enough to chose it as a major and avoid doing this. There is so much that you would miss out on if you don't!
I totally agree with your statements on literacy in mathematics. I am always amazed at how many people try to skip understanding definitions in mathematics and expect that they can simply learn the algorithms to get by. This is simply not a viable strategy for learning meaningful mathematics.