My practical training continues apace, interrupted only by influenza over this past weekend and a fresh rack of MAT classes next week. I would probably be more enthusiastic about the latter if I were better prepared. On the bright side, LHS will hold its parent-teacher conferences tomorrow and Friday, and I get Friday afternoon off for studying and such. Yay!
As I take over greater shares of the daily teaching load and gear up for my work sample (oh-god-oh-god-oh-god I am so hosed) my ambient anxiety level has spiked. I have no idea how I am possibly going to keep up with the example set by my CT, the human dynamo, as she transfers more of the workload onto my shoulders. Planning, organization, and the efficient processing of large volumes of raw information have never been my strong suits. Ironically, that's why I liked math as a student: I rarely had to worry about anything beyond cracking the next tidily gift-wrapped problem.
To make matters worse, I seem to have problems engaging my students during my presentations and checking for understanding on the fly. This is not a good trait to observe in a prospective teacher. The philosopher Bertrand Russell once wrote that "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture." The quote summarizes my predicament nicely: mathematicians think that math rocks hard, but it's an acquired taste and a tough sell to the uninitiated. Most people have little natural interest in "a beauty cold and austere;" they like their beauty to be warm and hospitable, if you please. And those who like their logic cold and hard often have a difficult time in learning how to relate to the touchy-feely folk who comprise the bulk of our species.
Math teachers really only get a few shots at guiding their students through an initiation into the world of mathematical thought and perception. If the teacher botches this initiation for the students, math may forever alienate them. That is why I am looking forward to the next few weeks with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Algebra Plus, my primary class, will soon begin their introduction to Geometry, and I will be responsible for the design and presentation of these lessons. It is an awesome responsibility in the classic sense of the word "awesome."
Although geometric theorems are often framed in the language and notation of modern algebra, the development of geometry precedes that of algebra in the historical record. Geometry came first. Along with arithmetic, it is the most primal type of mathematics, and was independently developed and practiced by virtually every civilization in the ancient world. It is aesthetically pleasing and accessible, but it also serves as the traditional gateway between common-sense thinking and rigorous logic. Euclid's Elements have often been hailed as the greatest collection of logical arguments from antiquity, and even today most students will receive their first lessons about formal logic through a geometry course.
If I can strike upon the right vein of inspiration, I can reinvent the tenor my entire placement. I can feel it. The transition between Algebra and Geometry gives me a window to turn the classroom routine upside down. But I still have to figure out how to communicate with these kids in a meaningful way. I have to get better at formulating questions that these kids can actually answer with some degree of confidence. And I have to give them some kind of stake in the investigation. These next few weeks will make or break me.
Oh yeah -- I have to catch up on my MAT work too. I almost forgot. Yay!
What a day.
14 years ago
