My favourite math teacher is a prof here at UBC, in the math department, Dr. Sebastian Picard. He is genuinely one of the funniest man I’ve seen, not because of his comedic skills or jokes, but just from the way he presents himself. He is very professional and teaches math very well, yet he is very unserious and very relatable. He would always tells us about his life, like how he got Taylor Swift concert tickets and how much he admires Beyoncé. He also uses song references to teach very complex topics (it was a Calculus IV class, so there were a lot of integrals explained using random things he is interested in). I think the biggest part of his charm is his relatability, how he loves talking about random interests of his. And of course, he is a phenomenal instructor, as he explains everything concisely while making sure that everybody is caught up. He also used an iPad to teach his lectures, which inspired me to use one as well for my lessons. So all in all, not only is he a good teacher, he is also very relatable while being professional, quite a high bar to reach!
And my high school math teacher, Mr. Siebert, is my inspiration to become a math teacher. He is exactly the same, professional, relatable, knowledgeable, and just a funny person. He loves making small jokes, yet he always stays on topic and makes sure that we are understanding everything. He is also very chill, he lets us have free time if we are finished early, and he even join in on our conversations sometimes to just get to know us. So again, by just being a great human who is relatable yet very knowledge in his field of study, both my university prof and my high school teacher are my favourite math teachers and I absolutely aspire to be like them!
But of course, there’re always some teachers on the opposite of the spectrum. One of my profs (won’t name-drop), who instructed me for my proofs class at UBC, was horrible. It was during the online-school COVID era, so I won’t hold this too much against him. However, he wasn’t helpful at all. When I asked him to explain something to me, it felt like he didn’t even know the answer and was just making up words to have something to say to me. There are some proofs I didn’t understand how to interpret in “regular English,” and all he said was something along the lines of “that symbol means of all,” and that was it. It was a very disappointing experience as it felt like he was as clueless as me and he just wasn’t willing to help me at all. So at the end of the day, being knowledge is definitely one of the most important qualities to have, so I can help more curious students and help those who are behind. I also want to be relatable, sharing my interests and joining in on student conversations to learn more about them. And of course, I just want to be a fun yet professional teacher, whom my students will respect but feel comfortable enough to talk to. :)
Leon, your reflection does a great job of highlighting what makes your favorite teachers memorable: professionalism, knowledge, and relatability. I particularly liked how you shared specific examples, like Dr. Picard’s use of music references in calculus and Mr. Siebert’s balance of humor and focus. These examples clearly show how these teachers not only made learning enjoyable but also fostered a comfortable learning environment.
ReplyDeleteIt would be helpful to hear more about how these qualities impacted your understanding of math concepts. For instance, how did Dr. Picard’s unique teaching methods help you grasp the material in Calculus IV? Additionally, while you mentioned the challenges with your least favorite professor, exploring how this affected your learning could add even more depth to your reflection.