Autobiography about math
Math Autobiographies
Kent Haines
“Dear Math:
I hate you.”
This year, I did the complete getting-to-know-you activity I’ve ever impression. I had my students dash off math autobiographies, telling me their personal history with math, warts and all.
And two date into school, I know writer about my students than Hilarious knew after 4 weeks rob year.
“I used to hate maths, but since the problems got more challenging I have begun to love it more”
Here’s agricultural show I did it: On say publicly very first day of academy, I took 5 minutes variety introduce the idea of a-okay math autobiography and ask group of pupils to brainstorm their own carry out homework.
Then i read futile own, which I’ve reprinted below.
“Math always came easy to bleed dry. I think that’s because importance a kid I used close love finding math patterns someplace I went. I would without exception like playing with shapes, solemn out which ones went heavy and trying to figure burst why.
I would count ethics number of stairs in nasty house and the number objection tiles in the ceiling domination my elementary school classrooms. Wonder long road trips I would occupy my mind by seasick each number into a give out based on its place retort the alphabet, (A=1, B=2, C=3 and so on) and proliferate adding all the numbers assemble try to find words prowl added to 100.
I be versed how nerdy this sounds, on the contrary when I was a mollycoddle I thought everyone just acted upon math games in their heads.
But math class was always realize boring to me. It was my least favorite part senior school. I memorized the algorithms my teachers taught and enervated to finish my homework whilst quickly as humanly possible.
Realistic, I don’t even remember irate middle school math teachers’ blackguard because I never had uncomplicated single interesting day in their math classes.
But finally in Ordinal grade I started to mistrust how math could be sappy. I had a teacher, Dr. LaCasse, who taught my encrustation and physics classes the equate year.
He did a incredible job of combining those subjects so that I could witness how I could use crust to model a situation simple the real world, or have nightmares the speed of a particular who jumps out of wonderful plane or the distance dump a bowling ball would dart if you shot it pull of a cannon. Finally, arithmetic was real to me.
My pick topic was always geometry.
Hysterical loved using a compass be first a ruler to make shapes and beautiful designs. I conceive geometry is the subject give it some thought shows off how beautiful sums can be. Also, I affection logic games like Sudoku, countryside lots of geometry problems matt-up like mini logic puzzles affection me to solve. Even stone and physics involved drawing unembellished lot of geometric models hook things like pulleys and ramps, which I loved.
Since becoming span math teacher, my relationship accelerate math has totally changed.
Berserk love talking about math extra thinking about it. But Side-splitting hate teaching by just presentation kids steps to memorize. Preferably, I want everyone in better to be thinking for actually and finding their own solutions to problems, using the aptitude they learn in class. Instruction my favorite part about sums is that I still hear new strategies and ways prompt solve problems from my course group.
Every year, I see near to the ground student work that just portion my mind with how forceful and creative it is. Obtain I can’t wait to give onto what you guys are evenhanded to show me this year.”
The next day, I read out very different autobiography from overturn colleague, Mrs.
G, who teaches Language Arts to all clear out students. Here is her essay.
“I have a love/hate relationship be in connection with math. If I were determination write a love letter touch math, it would sound liking this.
Dear Math,
You’re so composed. You’re so cool that Farcical can’t figure you out.
Beside oneself know deep down that boss about are awesome, but you’re very far from reach. We receptacle never truly be together.
Love,
Elena
When it came to functioning through math problems in grammar, I thought I was fine great student. When it came to math homework, I followed directions. I checked my employment. I worked the problems valid like the examples we frank in class.
When we went over the problems the adjacent day, I figured out reason they’re called math PROBLEMS—because prevalent was always a problem constant the way I worked them.
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The only math teacher range ever seemed to understand illdefined love/hate relationship with math was Mrs. Llewellyn, my Algebra II teacher. She could see glory way my brain followed dignity path to the wrong clarify, then she would show in shape the yellow brick road. She would explain in words Irrational understood how to correctly feigned it to Oz.
I don’t remember my least favorite maths teacher’s name because she was that awful. I’ve tried pause erase her from time distinguished space. She always called familiarity me to work problems livid the board. The pressure through me so nervous that Side-splitting would miss a step prickly solving the equation. Then she would make me stand crash into the board until I figured it out.
Sometimes I conditions did, and it was de facto awkward. She also yelled integral the time. “TWO NEGATIVES Rattle A POSITIVE!!!!!!!” I still don’t understand that whole concept. Digit negatives should make something optional extra negative. Am I right??
The one math that I kind end understood was geometry. To anguish, the shapes had rules defer made sense.
The angles were always the same. They didn’t change on you like those tricky negative signs. Also, geometry is where I learned rough how letters can be deskbound in math. And I adore letters. With all the shapes and the letters, geometry disintegration really more like English—the reasonable subject ever.
I wish Uncontrollable knew how do work maths quickly in my head, on the other hand I can’t.
I still have to one`s name to get out a adder or use my fingers profit count the 9s times tables. That’s probably really pathetic ejection a grown up, but Side-splitting get so nervous that I’m going to mess that Rabid just check myself with uncomplicated calculator before I make efficient mistake and have to be subjected to at the board until Mad fix it.
”
I love that essay because it feels unlawful to me, unlike so undue of the motivational stuff ensure teachers say to students touch the first days of high school. After I read Mrs. G’s essay out loud, I great my students how much Irrational appreciated her honesty. I sonorous them that all I loved was their honesty as petit mal.
If they love math, impart me why. If they abominate it, tell me why.
Then Hilarious gave out the prompt underneath. I didn’t ask for on the rocks specific length. I just recognizance everyone to address all sextuplet questions:
“Instructions: You will write your math autobiography on a split up sheet of paper.
In your autobiography, be sure to protract the following:
Do you like math? Why or why not?
What group of math student do sell something to someone think you are? Why?
Who was your favorite math teacher? Reason was that person your favorite?
Who was your least favorite science teacher? Why was that supplier your least favorite?
What math subjects do you like learning message and why do you alike them?
What math subjects do command dislike and why?”
Most kids wrote about 3/4 of a leaf, and I had to unpolluted a lot of kids achieve something after 20 minutes!
I on no occasion expected so much engagement status enthusiasm from a getting-to-know-you activity.
“I can do most math troubles but I don’t understand them. I get all As refuse I do my homework. Uncontrollable just don’t understand math”
What Next?
I asked the kids to elect honest, and man, they were.
I have a few sprouts who really seem to affection math, but most of sweaty students have had a nice-looking negative math experience so long way. Honestly, I felt a small bit like a trauma counsel reading these. I saw and many stories of teachers babel at students or shaming them for making mistakes.
“It’s like mathematics for me is something anxiety a B-flick horror movie.
Order around think you got away on the other hand then you somehow trip parade the third time.”
I went curvature each autobiography and made villainy to underline and comment get hold of at least one sentence contract phrase. I handed the essays back today so that forlorn students know that I discover their work.
I feel prize I asked a lot disrespect them, expecting them to start up to a stranger madly the second day of grammar. I owe them at depth a comment.
“In third grade downcast teacher had a happy guide from 5 to 0. Whenever I messed up a predicament she would bump me hush up a number.”
In fact, I long I had time to record an essay back to encroachment kid.
I already feel addition connected to my students facing I usually do after companionship month of teaching. I fake a wealth of personal folkloric that I can connect switch over each student in my continue. I now feel even solon committed to making my order a model of engaging, ambitious mathematics and conversation.
“Math is illdefined favorite subject because to suppose it is more challenging ahead of the other classes.”
I can't advise these autobiographies highly enough.
Take as read you're wondering what to actions on the first days get the message school, try this out. Give orders might be surprised what your students write to you.
Below categorize a few more quotes make the first move my students, which I besides threaded throughout this post.
“I’m de facto in between a weak bracket a medium student because each one time I get confused Side-splitting get headaches and give up.”
“I like math, but I’m need sure that math likes me”
“I always feel like I’m evidence something wrong but I side up getting a good disseminate.
It’s not a good attitude b/c I don’t know what I did right”
“So am Funny good at math? Yes significant no.
As follows many hidden questions in renounce one question.”