Favourite and least favourite math teachers

 My favourite math teacher was my Grade 9 or 10 math teacher. The first thing I remember is that she taught us to take notes by folding our paper and using one side for basic notes and the other side for example questions. Although I didn’t continue using this method after her class, I thought it was a unique way of taking notes and learning. What made her most memorable to me, though, was that she had a blog. She only updated it during the year that she taught me, but at the time, especially before COVID and all the online teaching, I felt like it was pretty rare for a teacher to have a blog. I liked that it gave us a way to get to know more about her life outside of the classroom. I also remember having a conversation with her about how handing in homework was optional in her class. I never did it because math came pretty naturally to me at the time, but she explained that this probably would not work in more advanced math because the concepts would not always be as intuitive. She was right, and I ended up taking her advice and doing my homework more consistently in later math courses. I think what made her such a memorable teacher for me was the connection she had with her students and the effort she made to get to know us.

I also remember my mom teaching me math and making me memorize my multiplication tables when I was young, which I was really appreciative of, especially in high school because I felt like I had a strong foundation in math and was a little ahead of my peers in elementary school.

I can’t really think of a math teacher who taught me particularly badly, because I tend to learn better independently and through practice problems. My least favourite math teacher was a high school teacher who I had a negative experience with outside of the actual lessons, so my opinion of them was more influenced by my personal experience than their teaching. Overall, this made me realize that when I think about my favourite and least favourite teachers, I remember my personal connections with them much more than how they actually taught math. As I take on the role of a teacher, I think building connections with students will be really important. The small things, such as having a blog or taking the time to have conversations with students, can make a teacher much more memorable and have an impact beyond just the math they teach.