Reflection

I'll be honest: before the semester began, I had assumed that this class would be as easy as pi (pun intended). How challenging could a course with the word "elementary" in its title be? Quite challenging, as I discovered. For the first time in a math class, I had to understand the method behind the madness. In high school, my math teachers had taught me to learn the material, not to understand it. In high school, it had not mattered how I solved a problem as long as I found the correct solution, but in this class, the procedure was more important than the solution. I now had to know how to solve operations and be able to provide an explanation for the procedure. I found that explaining how to solve an equation is not complicated, but explaining the reason for the solution can be challenging. This is what sets teachers aside from others: anyone can explain how, but it takes a teacher to explain why. This class has helped me understand math for the first time in my educational career. Before this class, I did not understand math. I just did as I was instructed to do. I could perform operations, but I did not understand what these operations meant. For instance, before this class, I did not know why multiplying a fraction by half was the same as dividing it by two. I just did it because it was what I had been taught. I now understand this and other concepts that I had not before. In retrospect, it is no wonder that I had been a poor math student in high school. It is hard to succeed in a subject if you are memorizing the material rather than understanding it. This class has taught me how to think about math in an abstract manner. Most important of all, this class has prepared me to teach math to children. From this class, I have learned how to explain concepts to children in a manner that will help them make sense of math. Now, when the children that I babysit ask me to help them with their math homework, I find myself telling them not just how to solve the equation, but explaining why it is solved the way that it is. Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions, and to me, one of the best things about being a teacher is seeing a child's face light up when he or she finally understands a concept. I hope to help all of my future students become confident in their abilities. All children can be successful if they believe that they can be successful. Overall, this class has helped me to become a better math student, and in turn, a better math teacher. I will take what I have learned and use it when I become a teacher. I hope to serve as an example to my future students that it is possible to overcome a fear of math and become a successful math student.