I go to a top 2 public university, and I’m an aspiring high school math teacher. Does that sound wrong to you? I’ve been telling myself that whatever my mind leads to is what I should do, that what I feel is my calling is what I should pursue, and that there is no such thing as an individual who is too smart to be a teacher. But we all know that there is the stereotype of teachers that sees them as people who didn’t do so hot in college or didn’t have the ability to do something else. I just think that’s wrong, and I know it is, but this perspective is affecting me more than it should. I just need some encouragement to continue on this path.
A good math teacher is worth his/her weight in gold.
I know a current math teacher (recently graduated) who was bad in math in school. She said she wanted to teach math because she knew what it was like to struggle, and she wanted to help the kids who don’t get it the first time.
I have had my disagreements with a lot of my kids’ teachers. But luckily the math teachers have been wonderful. Math is one subject that builds, and a given teacher in a given year can make or break that progression.
If you feel you can explain the concepts well, and have a passion for making sure everyone understands, you would be welcome in any school in the country.
^^ Agree, especially for a math teacher. There is also a real shortage of good math teachers, so you would likely have your pick of jobs. I don’t know where you got that impression about teachers, but they are a valued and vital part of the workforce.
Teachers are sometimes the most important people in kids’ lives. You can make all the difference in their self-esteem and confidence. I can’t think of a smarter way to live out your passion. Don’t let the words of misinformed people change your outlook.
My daughter’s HS math teacher has a PhD in math from a top 20 school. We are beyond grateful.
Some of the most educated, brilliant people I know are teachers.
I know several people who quit more lucrative careers to be high school math teachers. I’m very grateful to them.
Think about this: All of the brilliant mathematical minds in society now, from mathematicians to engineers to physicists to computational biologists, had high school math teachers. Astronauts had high school math teachers; chemists had high school math teachers; physicians had high school math teachers. And if you read the bios of some of these brilliant minds in science and technology, a lot of times it was a teacher in high school who inspired them to pursue a career in mathematics.
My favorite teacher in high school was a man who got a BS in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. One of the reasons I loved him is that he didn’t teach math by rote. He dispatched with the textbook and created all of his own math homework and tests from scratch. They were all applied mathematics and simple engineering problems. For the first time, math really came alive for me and I understood it better than I ever had before because now I realized it had a purpose, not just some abstract formulae. I remember being actually excited to do my calculus homework and to work out problems in class. (And actually, one of my other favorite teachers ever was my seventh-grade algebra teacher. I also remember him because he made math fun - his class felt kind of like a party.)
It takes an intelligent and dedicated teacher to think about how to enliven the subject matter that they teach and make it real and applicable to the students in the classroom. I wish we did more the encourage more brilliant, hardworking students to become teachers, because they lay the foundation for everything else we do in life. All the bankers playing around with our money, the engineers building the things that keep us alive every day, the biochemical researchers devising drug doses…they all have to learn math from somewhere, and all we can do is pray it’s accurate!
If you don’t like the stereotype you can have a hand in breaking it.
You understand, I assume, that stereotypes don’t tell the whole story.
I’m a high school math teacher, and I would like to hope that I’ve made a difference to the thousands of kids I’ve taught over the years. I would also like to think that I’m “smart enough” to have been whatever I would have wanted to be, had I not been called to be a teacher.
I will say that being a good, a really good, math teacher takes far more than book smarts.
In no particular order: Yes, I need to know my material cold. I can’t stop class and find an answer when I need it; I need to know the process and the explanation. And I need to know multiple explanations for it, since some kids simply won’t get the first explanation and will need something else in extra help. And I need compassion-- I’m dealing with kids, not numbers. I need to have my radar on at all times; I can’t be so involved in my lesson that I miss the kid who is ill in the back or slumped down texting. I need the ability to keep my kids entertained while still educating them. I need to know the material they learned last year, as well as the material they’re going to learn next year.
I need to be well versed in ALL of high school math, since anyone in the building can come to me for extra help. (On Friday before homeroom, I answered questions in Calc, Pre-calc and Pre-calc honors; all had tests.) I need to know college material; this year I’ve had 2 grads come back for extra help. I need eyes in the back of my head-- on Friday I had a kid become violently ill at the garbage can with what I presume was the flu as her classmates were taking that test. I need the ability to write well; some years I’ve written between 40 and 45 different letters of recommendation. I need the ability to communicate effectively to parents, some of whom see things radically differently than I do as far as their kid’s behavior is concerned. I need the ability to act on information that may make my actions seem unfair-- sometimes a kid has something going on at home and I need to give him a break while still seeming fair to his classmates who don’t get that break. I need the ability to see trends, both in grades and behavior. I need to see when a kid’s behavior seems to indicate some sort of a problem that should be reported to his guidance counselor. I need to be aware of what’s going on in the halls and the bathrooms-- about a week ago there was a plumbing issue in the boy’s room across the hall from my classroom. I heard the water running and running and sent a kid in to check, and then to call maintenance. I need to be aware of what’s going on in the halls in the event that a safety issue would necessitate a call to the main office, to 911, or the pulling of the fire alarm. I need the ability to take charge of any kid in my vicinity in the event of a crisis, to make the right decisions with no notice and have them obey my wishes without question in that crisis.
I need the ability to be one of 5 teachers in a cafeteria full of 600 kids and to maintain order there while still enabling my kids to enjoy their lunch. I need the ability to help find friends to adopt those kids having trouble finding friends for themselves. I need the ability to see when a kid is sick, and whether he is sick enough to get all the way to the nurse’s off ice on his own power… I need the ability to know what to do when a kid has been in the bathroom for 15 minutes-- do I call the nurse or the dean? I need to ensure that healthy kidding around doesn’t cross the line into harassment. I need to deal with kids who are dealing with alcoholic parents, dying grandparents, siblings with cancer, or currently absent a lot because of their own medical issues.
I need the ability to moderate an activity-- over the years it’s varied from Speech & Debate to Religious Ed after school to NHS. I need the ability to balance a budget for that activity. I’ve needed the ability to drive a minivan to get my kids to those activities.
OK, I’ll stop. I think you get the point. Stereotypes are for people not bright enough to think things through.
My daughter is a HS math teacher…very smart, IB Diploma taking HL Math, Physics, Chem, went to SUNY Binghamton to get her Math degree then Columbia for a Master’s. Don’t we want smart teachers?
Why would anyone discourage a person from being a smart, dedicated math teacher? It is a wonderful pathway, especially if you have a passion to help young people. Teaching is a honorable and noble profession that, if done well, can change young people’s lives for the better.
FWIW, my S’s life was influenced in a very positive way by his middle school math teacher and they stay in touch to this day.
Northwestern University grad, 1550+ SAT back in the day. Teaching elementary school (now gifted math) 30 years. Glad I didn’t let anyone dissuade me from my calling. Wanted to teach since before I entered school. Wonderful career, lifestyle that is family-friendly, true pension. Love to get up in the morning and go to work. Love to have seasons in my year and fresh starts each fall.
If you are drawn to teaching, go for it. Math teachers are especially employable!
Please be a teacher. We need many more teachers with passion in every topic. We lean on a teacher with a PhD in Nuclear Engineering who has taught at the high school and college level. He has a passion for education and believes that children can do so much more with someone to show them the way. Share brilliance with the next generation.
You will be surprised how many science teachers/math teachers DON"T have degrees in what they teach! we really need good teachers who actually know their stuff, not an AP physics teacher half of whose students failed AP test !
Yes, that’s what I had in my HS. 30 people took his class before me, and 13 passed.