Reversal of Educational Roles by Marshall

Reversal of Educational Roles by Marshall - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

It was that time of day again, my mind beginning to wander. As far as I could tell this math teacher was speaking Greek. I have struggled with the usage of math throughout my entire life. Being told all through high school that this stuff would serve me a purpose in life, it was never explained what that purpose was of course. I took my required math credits in high school and moved on, never even trying to remember algebra or geometry. Never thinking I would use it caused me to lose it. Now I'm here, in math 900 at USU, bottom of the barrel as far as math is concerned. I learned the hard way that almost everything in life revolves around math and that it is so crucial to understanding. After working in the diesel technology industry for several years and realizing that I wanted more out of life, I decided to get my bachelor's degree from Utah State University. Unfortunately for me, this means starting over completely with math. My teacher is a graduate student from Nepal and he is brilliantly gifted at performing complicated math problems. As brilliant as he is at performing the math, he is equally ignorant in teaching math. I can tell he understands what he is saying, but my mind and many others in class are drawing a blank.

The problem with math education in this country is that the "why" of math is never explained or fully understood. The students are required to master this without understanding how it applies to their daily lives. This is like forcing someone who has never seen water to learn how to swim and not explaining to them that most of the earth is covered in water. Teachers need to help students understand the "why" of learning before they cover the "how". For this to occur, a person must be more than gifted at their specific subject. They must know how to teach, how to express the idea in a variety of ways that can reach the different individuals.

In a reversal of roles, I have become the teacher instead of the student. After graduating from USU with a B.S. degree in Engineering Technology and Education, I have become a technical instructor for a well-known equipment company. I train diesel technicians new systems and processes involved in heavy equipment. Part of my role as instructor requires that I teach safe lifting practices which include load and lift calculations involving algebra and geometry. I begin with why they need to know this and give them examples that are relevant. Math is a common language used across the world and it is found everywhere, in every daily task. Now I not only understand the importance but I also understand how to utilize it correctly. Life is full of surprises.