My math teacher
amazes me. He’s the first one I’ve had in years to
do his job well,
that’s certain. I had him last year for Honors Pre-Calculus, have him this year for
AP
Calculus, and will next year for AP Calculus II. I don’t think any other teacher at my
school or even any nearby could
do the job that he has and will.
If your teacher doesn’t demand your best, or leaves an easy way out, the simple fact
is that you won’t challenge yourself to the fullest extent that you could. You’d have to
be incredibly motivated and not too weighted down with other homework and
obligations. My teacher has found a balance that is challenging yet somehow
doable.
We went through our entire book last year, not skipping any chapters, with about 6
weeks left in the year. I had never even come close to finishing a whole math book
before. We moved on to doing chapters from Calculus. Now, this year, we’ve had 6 days
of school. He has been ill the whole time. We’ve had homework every day since the first
day, with no instruction. Mostly review, but a lot of information leaves you during the
summer months. Not everyone in AP Calculus had him the year before, so it’s all new to
them.
Homework is extra credit if you do it, and minus points if you don’t. Tests are the only
other grades, but the extra credit is usually enough to raise each score one or two letter
grades. If you learn the stuff and do the work, an A or B is fairly easy.
The man is very smart, and not just in math. Everything. For the life of me I don’t
know why he sticks around a crappy school like ours. He realizes that his class is very
hard. He refers to a Math Club (that the writers of the confusing math rules try to
keep you out of), and gives you a membership card at the end of your first year with him.
Each Calculus class orders T-shirts together with formulas on front and a saying on the
back, usually a class’ favorite Deep Thought by Jack Handy. He reads Deep Thoughts
or other amusing stories or jokes at the beginning of each class. I was just thinking
about this, and how one teacher can stand out above the rest. He doesn’t even have to
put out a lot more effort than the others, he just demands that we’re there to learn and
teaches us very well.
Here’s what our Up All Night Math Club cards read: (BTW, we each get to claim on all
applications that we’ve been President of the Math Club for however many years we’ve
had him)
“Math can be fun,” we had such a good time,
Sick cats were singing, bad beer was behind.
Deep thoughts abounded, and the motion and change,
The calculus handled it (though ’s deranged).
All students take calculus, my TI is trusty,
My calculus T-shirt I’ll never get musty.
Derivatives, integrals, as easy as Pi,
I’ll stay up all night doing math ‘til I die.