This post is intended to take part in the Virtual Conference of Mathematical Flavors.
Are the students taking it?!
As a teacher, you always wonder this. There is a lot of work that goes into my lessons. Creation, modification, connection, copies, practice, etc. We all know what it takes in our own classroom to effective (hopefully) get mathematical ideas through to teens in an ever-illogical world. But do the students see that??
2017-2018 was my first year of teaching AP Calculus, and BC nonetheless. A perfectly stressful agonizing year full of planning and homework and learning (and that’s just me!). Would my students learn what’s necessary? Would they see the work I did to try to help them get through this crazy course? The answer of course is yes. I didn’t always know that, but as long as I show my students each day that I care if they are successful, they will do their best to work at being successful. They won’t always show it in an obvious way. They won’t yell it from the back of the class. They will slack and have senioritis. As long as I don’t give up on them and bring it every day…they will get it. They will also appreciate it in the end. Just keep showing you’re willing to put in the work for them and they will put in the work for you. Let’s be honest…we didn’t go into this gig for fame fortune and fandom!!
Dividing by Zero 