Sharing a Common Denominator

When I was younger, I hated math. Math wasn’t easy for me and it even made me cry because of the amount of frustration that it gave me. All the other subjects, I understood everything perfectly, but not math. 

During 5th and 6th grade, fractions, exponents, and PEMDAS were nightmares. I had no clue how to distribute exponents or how a number became negative. It wasn’t until 7th and 8th grade that the math lightbulb in my head had finally illuminated. The illumination of math concepts became as clear as day. I enjoyed the concept of manipulating numbers to get an answer and just working with numbers in general was really fun for me; almost like a puzzle. 

My high school math experience began with Mrs. Ramming who not only became my teacher for the next three years, but also a mentor. Integrated Math 1 was a breeze because Mrs. Ramming made it fun and put you at ease as you learned math concepts. 

Integrated Math 2 became a little more challenging with the pandemic and the chaos of trying to learn ZOOM and geometry at the same time. My favorite year of math was Integrated Math 3 Honors. Mrs. Ramming turned a difficult subject, during difficult times, into an understandable and overall exciting class. Every day when we logged into class, Mrs. Ramming would always ask us how we were and would always check up on our mental health. Online learning wasn’t the easiest and being a student, and a babysitter, simultaneously wasn’t the easiest job. Sometimes I felt stressed and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she gave me something to look forward to. This is when I realized that becoming a math teacher was a proper fit for me. Math challenges me and yet I find joy in helping others learn math concepts. I want to be a mentor the same way Mrs. Ramming is to me. I would love to help others who are intimidated by math and build a positive relationship with the subject. 

Combining my passion for math and my desire to help others is my life goal.