Battleground Schools: Reflection

 This piece was interesting because I had never thought of Math as a politically charged subject. We hear in the news about english and history being re-written due to political influence, but math seemed to be one of the untouchable subjects. I see now that this is untrue.

I saw many similarities to the concepts of instrumental vs relational understanding. As has been mentioned in class, instrumental understanding is more quickly grasped, while relational understanding leads to better applications of one's knowledge. It is apparent that society chooses which type of understand to prioritize depending on the society's needs. 

The most difficult part of this reading is that it is apparent that there is no right answer, and there is no pleasing everyone. It is humorous that parents who wish to protect their child's future will argue about which path forward is best. Parents will argue both for and against changes to the curriculum, both with the exact same end goals.

My big takeaway is that becoming a math teacher does not make you immune from politics. It will be my duty to fight for what I see to be in my student's best interests. 

TPI Reflection

 I am very happy that I was categorized as Developing and Nurturing. I related very strongly to these categories after reading their summaries.

Developing means that I meet students where they are and work with them towards their goals. My experience focuses on those who need concepts broken down into simple terms before being able to approach the complicated ones.

Nurturing means that I recognize the emotional aspect of teaching, keeping students engaged by supporting their abilities and congratulating their efforts.

I think this both of these qualities stems from my origin as a tutor for failing students. They required me to teach with a developmental mindset, for the were only in the emerging category. They also required me to teach with a nurturing mindset, because they thought they were terrible at math and therefore had lower self confidence. 

I am unsure how this profile will change after I teach in a classroom. I think that as my class size increases, and as the skill level of my students increases, my profile will change.