Mathematics Philosophy of Teaching

My learning experiences in mathematics as a student have been bitter sweet. In elementary school I remember learning fractions with a pizza manipulative. I can still remember playing with fake money when learning how to count money. I remember playing with a clock manipulative when learning how to tell time. I definitely remember the multiplication flash cards I used at school and at home. I remember the geometric shapes, pattern bocks, and number charts I used in school. I also remember folding origami in one math class! I remember learning short sayings to remember the order of operations. I did well in school and don’t remember struggling with math until seventh grade.
Starting in the seventh grade I began to struggle with math. I had to work very hard to maintain my good grades I had always had. It took more than just paying attention in class and doing the assigned homework to earn a good grade. My parents expected me to make A’s and B’s and until this point school had been easy. From seventh grade until I graduated high school I had to work very hard in math to maintain my good grades. I put a lot of work and time into math. I was the student who always got help after school or before school with my teacher. I had a private tutor I went to once a week to help me with my math work. I had to study and work so hard to earn good grades in math. All the other subjects in school came easy to me. Even though I struggled with math and had to work very hard at it I didn’t hate it. I think it was so rewarding in the end making a good grade after working so hard. This is what made math bitter sweet for me.
Even though I struggled in math I liked all of my math teachers. I remember each teaching taking time before or after school to help me one on one. My teachers would work with me on my homework and go over old test with me. I remember my teachers even assigning me extra work. I know that my teachers cared about me and wanted me to master what I didn’t understand in math. As a teacher it is important to make sure your students know you want them to do well in your class. As a teacher you must tell your students and show your students that you care about them. As a teacher I will try my best to show my students I care about them and want them to do well in my class.
As a teacher I hope I can make math fun for my students. I want my students to use lots of manipulatives to discover math. I also want to integrate math into other subjects. I remember that math was not my favorite subject but if it could have been integrated in to social studies (my favorite) I might have enjoyed it more. There are so many nontraditional ways to teach math. You could have a class grocery store with your students and teach them about counting and money. Baking cookies with your class involves counting, fractions, and chemistry! Also allowing students to play board games like Life or Monopoly involve them counting and exchanging money. There are lots of ways to make teaching math fun, discovery based, and hands on. As a teacher I want to make sure my students enjoy math. I want them to be exposed to math in real life situations. I also want my students to get math across the curriculum. I hope to integrate other subjects into my math lessons. Most important I want my students to know I want to see them do well in my class.