Teaching: Which Role Would I Choose? by Alexis

Teaching: Which Role Would I Choose? by Alexis - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

Back when I was in middle school, I had the best teacher for math. I always enjoyed math class, but when I got to seventh and eighth grade, I loved it even more. It was one of my classes I really looked forward to going to. My math class was small, which I liked. My teacher was really good at explaining how to solve problems. At that time, we were doing algebra, my favorite math subject. He always worked out the problems with attention to detail, and really made sure we understood how to work out the problems. He also gave us time in class to work on our homework, so if we had any questions, we could ask him and get any help we needed before we went home. I was sad when I left middle school because I was going to miss my math teacher a lot. If I had the opportunity to play the role of a teacher, I would definitely teach middle school algebra to share my love of math and the techniques I learned from my teacher that helped me succeed.
I would teach middle school algebra because I love solving the equations that are taught at that level. They are not too difficult which makes it fun to solve, especially when you understand it. Since I understood the material, thanks to my amazing math teacher, I think I would really be able to pass on the techniques I learned from my math teacher to the students I would teach. Because I love the middle school math material, I would be very motivated and excited to teach the students the material to show them it is fun solving, especially once you get the hang of how to do it. I also would teach math because I like working out the problems and explaining how to do things. I too, like my math teacher, like detail. Since I have that eye for detail, I think I could really help the students learn the material and succeed at math, and help them build a strong foundation for the higher levels of math they will take later on in their school life.
My hope if I taught middle school algebra is that my students would find the joy in solving math problems like I did, and succeed and build a great foundation for their future years of math learning. I would try and follow similar techniques my math teacher used to teach our class and make sure everything was detailed enough to make sure the students were confident in knowing the material. As a result of this, I would hope they have successful math classes later on in their school life because of the strong foundation I helped them build in middle school.