What inspired you to want to become a maths teacher?
Everyone
has that one teacher that they remember from school. The one that ignited their
passion and interest in a subject; the one that encouraged and installed them
with the confidence to pursue their goals; the one whose enthusiasm for
teaching made it exciting for them to learn. For me, that teacher taught me Maths
from year 9 through to year 13. Because of them, I noticed the beautifully intricate
ways that mathematics is all linked and how it presented itself around us in
the real world. Maths was no longer just some random numbers and letters on a
piece of paper, but now present in the supermarket when working out which bag
of rice was more cost-effective, or in Edward Burne-Jones' ‘The Golden Stairs’
at Tate Britain.
I
was fortunate enough to always enjoy going to school. In fact, I find – still
to this day – a level of comfort in education: the daily routine, the challenge
of a constantly changing to-do list, and the rewarding feeling when completing
tasks and overcoming problems. There was only one phase in which I can remember
feeling disengaged in my lessons: during my Key Stage 3 Maths lessons, I would
regularly finish my class work quickly and subsequently get bored. My year 9
teacher, who was just starting their NQT year, noticed this and would push me
to try NRICH exercises as extensions, which made me start to enjoy Maths. Throughout the rest of my time in secondary
school, and Sixth Form, I was lucky enough to have the same teacher in Maths
each year.
Now,
when reflecting upon my education and how it can aid me during my PGCE, I have
realised that this teacher will act as a role model for how I wish to teach: to
ignite fascination and interest through the use of resources such as NRICH and
those provided by the Maths Scholarship; to encourage and install a confidence
in students through discussion and the understanding that you do not have to
always be right; and to radiate a passion for teaching that makes it intriguing
to learn.
Fundamentally,
I want to be able to use my personal experiences to help influence the young
minds of today – to repay the enthusiasm and inspiration I felt when taught Maths
by my secondary school tutor. Overall, the challenge of teacher training is a
thrilling prospect for me, and one that I will commit myself to entirely, for I
someday wish to be that one teacher that students will remember.
By Sian
Hyland
Find Sian on Twitter as @shyland97
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