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Hi Ms. Lam!
How have you been? It's been a long time, but I was looking back and remembered how memorable your class was for me. The assignments and activities were really fun and interactive, and I really liked how you put emphasis on making the lessons have more relevance to the real world. I also really loved the weekly math puzzles/problems we had! They really made me think really hard, and it was super satisfying when my friends and I got the answer. I also appreciate how supportive you were to our learning and a fun person to talk to!
Cheers!
Student A
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Hi Ms. Lam,
I wanted to let you know I appreciate you doing your best to try new things and make math more interesting, but I didn't enjoy your class much because of how disorganized everything felt. Your activities and lessons were very different from other math classes I've had, but I felt I wasn't really learning anything in class, or I couldn't figure out the purpose of the lesson. Furthermore, I think it would have been better if you had exerted more control over the class and were more strict with the students misbehaving, because it made class uncomfortable when they were being disruptive and loud.
Sincerely,
Student B
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My hope as a teacher stems a lot from teachers I've grown up with or volunteered for (they're my role models!) My wish is to make math more fun and interactive by incorporating math puzzles/problems to develop students' critical thinking and logical reasoning. I also wish to be able to support my students as much as possible through providing thoughtful, honest feedback and additional resources/time after classes or during breaks.
My biggest worry is lacking the credibility/respect as a teacher to take control of my classroom, given teenagers can get rowdy because of many factors. I tend to be on the more passive/timid side, so I worry I won't be able to assert myself well in such situations, but I'm aiming to work on that and classes I'm taking have very useful ideas. I also worry about students not liking the way I decide to teach my class (I want to try making lessons more unique and interactive), but perhaps I can get feedback from students themselves (they are the ones experiencing it firsthand) to make adjustments, or other colleagues.
Thanks for this, Lisa. I'm glad that you have lots of great role models to guide you, and that your classes are helpful too! Every teacher needs to learn to be more assertive than we normally would be in everyday adult life -- and at the same time, to be compassionate and kind. You can do it! It's a kind of stepping into the role of the teacher, and once you experience it (which you will), you can assume this role anytime you need too. It's our teaching superpower!
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