My Passion for Math
When I walked into my very first math class with Ms. Nicole Dyck when I was in grade 11 I had no idea what an inspiration she would be to me, or how big a role math would play in my future because of her. Ms. Dyck was the first person I had encountered who proudly professed that she loved math. I had always excelled in math throughout elementary-, middle-, and the beginning of high-school and I always maintained that I liked it, but I had never realized that it was possible to love it. After experiencing her classes, her passion for math began to pass on to me. I began to realize that I didn't just like math, I loved it, and that I wanted to pass on my love and passion for it to other people the way Ms. Dyck had passed hers on to me. To do this I decided I wanted to become a math teacher.
Pursuing Physical Education
My high school had an excellent athletic department that offered many different kinds of PE classes so that students would not be forced to take the typical co-ed PE class. Throughout my high-school career I was lucky enough to be able to take all of the different PE courses that were offered by my school, which included PE Athletics (where school athletes were given class time to work on their particular sport), Health & Fitness (an all girls class spent primarily in the weight room and dance studio), PE Leadership, and Strength & Conditioning. By experiencing these different courses I was able to truly understand the potential of physical education in schools, and I was inspired to pursue a career in physical education in the hope that I could help other PE programs in schools in the province achieve this potential. My dream is to help create similar programs in the schools that I will be working in, so that I can reach as many students as possible and help them develop the appropriate skill sets so that they can be physically active for life.
I want to be a math teacher because I love math. I love the challenge of trying to solve a problem, and the satisfaction of getting the correct answer and knowing I am right. However, I realize that not all of my students will share this attitude towards math. Unfortunately many people, children and adults alike, suffer from math anxiety, and it is our job as math teachers to help reduce this anxiety and show our students how beautiful math can be.
I believe that in order to help students with their math anxiety, we need to show them how math can be applied in everyday life and that it isn’t always necessarily a mess of numbers and letters. One way that we can help students connect math concepts with real life situations is through the concept of curriculum integration. By integrating math with other subject areas that students are more comfortable in we can ease that anxiety and help students make more sense of what they are learning. Math can be integrated with so many different subject areas, and if the teacher takes the time and effort to make these connections it will go a long way towards promoting student success in math.
Conquering Math Anxiety: "It's now a human issue."
The above video is a TEDx talk by Robert Adhoot, creator of the Yay Math movement. He speaks about how we can reduce the anxiety of the math classroom by making it an environment where students can feel safe, and enjoy themselves while they are learning. Yay Math is an excellent YouTube resource for teachers and students alike. It provides teachers with ideas and ways to teach math, and it helps students with any confusion they may have with math. What makes Yay Math unique is the live student interaction in Mr. Adhoot's videos. The videos show Mr. Adhoot's students asking questions that any other math student might ask in any other classroom around the world. I encourage you to take a look at the Yay Math website, and become a part of the Yay Math movement. http://www.yaymath.org/
Becoming an Active Health Advocate
During my time at UVic I have had many opportunities to learn about the different components of health, and how to advocate living a healthy and active lifestyle.
In February 2013 I conducted an interview with my role model and former teacher, Jake Mouritzen, to learn how he helped create the fantastic athletic and physical education department at G.W. Graham Middle-Secondary School, and how he advocates for active, healthy living.
A year later I took part in a semester long lifestyle change project, where I committed myself to living a healthier lifestyle by focusing on my nutrition and eating habits. This project allowed me to focus on making positive changes in my life, and helped me towards becoming an active health advocate for the people in my life which is something I hope I continue to be when I become a teacher.
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Active Health Advocate Case Study.pdf Details
Download Active Health Advocate Case Study.pdf [130.5KB]}This case study discusses an interview I conducted with Athletic Director Jake Mouritzen. It focuses on the development of the physical education program and the athletic department at G.W. Graham Middle-Secondary School, and explains why Mouritzen is an Active Health Advocate in the Graham school community. -
Making a Lifestyle Change.pdf Details
Download Making a Lifestyle Change.pdf [203KB]}This report chronicles my commitment to eating healthier over a 9-week period. It discusses the processes I took, my progress, and my barriers to success. It then compares these aspects to results from numerous studies done on the healthy eating habits of young adults from Canada and around the world.