Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ever Experienced a Bad Math Teacher?

Have you experienced a terrible math teacher that had you ready to rip your hair out of your head you were so lost or frustrated? I have. The worst experience I have ever had with a teacher is someone who is clearly very intelligent and knows exactly what the topic is they are trying to teach, but they have no clue how to communicate that topic from their head to a class without it becoming lost in translation. I am majoring in Mathematics Education and I know that it is my job to know the material I am going to be teaching like the back of my hand. I also know that it is going to be my responsibility to be able to get  a lesson from my head to a board or worksheet so that my students understand exactly what I am trying to teach them. For instance I have had a teacher that was teaching the class pre-calc, they knew what they were trying to teach very well. This teacher was capable of understanding the topic, but when it came to getting it down in notes and in practice problems they had a very difficult time putting it in writing so that it made sense to the students. It should not be blamed on the student for getting below average grades for a course they are having taught to them in a very messy environment. But what exactly can you do about that? Do you get a tutor and try to understand the topic outside of the classroom with that specific teacher? Do you talk to a guidance counselor about the issues you see with the teaching tactics of that specific teacher? Do you try and talk to the teacher them self? I do not like being the bad guy and getting anyone into trouble or looked down upon, but I would most definitely rather passing grades that I know I am more than capable in a course than have a below average grade because I am not being taught properly or in a way that can be made sense of instead of a complete class lost in translation. The biggest issue I have seen now a days with teachers is that they are well aware of their subjects and the topics of the subjects they are teaching, just like my math teacher, yet they have a very difficult time finding a way to properly teach that topic or communicating that topic to a class full of students without it getting lost in translation. Many teachers need to focus on their teaching tactics now and not just their subjects they are majoring in. What is being a teacher in a certain subject and knowing your subject inside and out without being able to teach the subject without it getting made into complete nonsense. It is worth absolutely nothing to those students and that teacher will not be teaching students but they will be causing more problems for students.

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