"The Best Math Teacher Ever!" by Seth

"The Best Math Teacher Ever!" by Seth - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

If the roles of teacher and student were to be reversed, I would definitely want to be a math teacher, preferably for high schoolers at a private school. I’ve always loved math, ever since I was young, and have excelled, even in the more advanced math. Algebra is definitely my favorite type of math because it is more like a puzzle, than other types of math. I get to solve the puzzle/problem and I love seeing the end result, all complete and working together. If I got to choose the specific math teacher I could be, it would definitely be an Algebra 1 teacher. Out of all my high school math career, that was definitely the type of math I excelled the most at. I feel like that would be the subject that I would be most qualified for.

My students would love me, because I would understand what it feels like to struggle in school, even though I didn’t necessarily struggle in math. I would try to make math as interesting as I could, so that my students would stay focused and not be distracted. I would incorporate games, like my math teacher did. Games like 24 and Zoom, would keep my students having fun, while learning lots. After a couple weeks, my students would think that I was The Best Math Teacher Ever. They would come to class prepared to learn, because I would make learning fun.

The reason I would want to teach at a private school and not a public school, is that I could get to know the students a little better. There would be less students in a class, making it easier for me to teach and help them individually. Even though, generally a public school pays more, I would feel like I was making more of a difference at a private school.

If I were a teacher, I would want to be an Algebra 1 teacher. The main reason would be, so I can help my students, understand my love for math and hopefully rub some of that off on them. I would help them see that math can be fun by playing math games. My students would love me because I would help them comprehend the more complex equations.