Teaching math is about so much more than teaching math...

The longer I teach, the more I realize that it's not about the curriculum.  Don't get me wrong (panicked, deer in the headlights), covering the curriculum is a critical part of my job, but I look at teaching as an opportunity to do so much more than that.

I teach at a rural school, where students are bused in from four or more local communities. This means that there are some high-flying French immersion students, but also a lot of kids from impoverished backgrounds.  I have been teaching for 8 years and nothing in teacher's college prepared me for some of the students I would encounter.  Not the students who say *%^$ you to your face, but those who live in a group home, who lost a family member to suicide, who rely on the school for their staple meals...the list goes on and on.  I think that as teachers, we are presented with once in a lifetime opportunities to truly make a difference in the lives of others.  That is why I love my job - it allows me to let young people know that there is someone who cares for them (you may be the only positive influence in their lives!), will not judge them and who will do their best to see that they get through.  In my classroom, I try to make a kind and caring environment the priority...the rest falls into place easily if this is the basis.

I love teaching math because it is a subject that strikes fear in the hearts of students. I try to make it accessible to everyone and find that when I make it clear that I won't make fun of them for not knowing the answer, that it's okay to try and sometimes fail, the students are much more likely to want to try their best.

Having a good sense of humour is an important part of my approach.  I find that even if students aren't particularly enjoying a particular aspect of the course (hmm, factoring, for example!), being able to laugh makes things much smoother for everyone.

That said, here's a link to a "Should math be taught in schools?" video that a colleague shared with me last week - it could even be used in the classroom as a teachable moment.  Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGMRSomoOYg