C.

Domain: Dispositions

Anytime I meet someone new and they ask me what I am do, when I tell them I am going
to become a math teacher, my response is always followed by good luck, I hate math I dont
know how you do it, or I was never good at math. There are many negative feelings
surrounding mathematics in both adults and students. This common misconception that one is
incapable of doing mathematics is a fallacy statement and a barrier placed on math teachers.
During my student teaching experience, I had to push through this misconception every day and
even more at my specific school since most of the students failed math at their previous high
schools.
Within the first few weeks of student teaching, I took on the job of staying after school
and preparing 3 of my students for the special administration Algebra I regents in February 2016.
One student was 17 years old and pregnant, the second student was 21 and was just back from
spending 2 years in jail and the third student was a 16-year-old boy who was classified as special
ed. My other students saw me working with these students and kept making jokes and comments
to these 3 students that they have to stay after for math and how terrible that is. A few days later
when the school found out that all three students passed the regents (none of which scored lower
than a 75), the other students attitudes started to change. They saw how these students with
barriers in their way passed the math regents exam and was envious of them. It also proved to the
other students that hard work pays off and it is possible to pass math and a true dedication in
teaching for staying until 5pm everyday for weeks during student teaching.
As a newcomer to field of teaching, I will constantly be searching for different
methodologies and strategies that will help me grow as en educator. At Hunter College, I have

built positive dispositions within me through coursework and fieldwork to fulfill by duties as a
teacher. In my Social Foundations course, I learned about the diversity of learners and the
obstacles and barriers in place by society. I learned how certain groups of students were denied
access to equal education and struggles endured in the past. I grew up on Long Island where
there is little diversity. The demographics of my town are as follows: 94% White, 3% Spanish,
2% Black, and 1% other. Gaining teaching experience in the city was one of the best things that
have ever happened to me. I have learned so much from my students and opened my eyes to a
whole other side of the educational system. This awareness has helped me grow as a teacher as I
realized that being sensitive to the struggles endured by various groups of learners is directly
related to every learners right to an education.
Not only is it important for there to be teacher-student respect, but a huge part of a
positive learning environment comes from student to student interaction as well as creating
positive relationships with colleagues. During my student teaching, I was assigned one course to
co-teach with a special education teacher (she doubled as an English teacher in the school). We
were able to plan really great lessons incorporating math vocabulary. An example of a lesson we
created together was a math vocabulary game called I have, who has. During regents prep we
gave our students a blank regents exam and had them highlight words they did not know the
meaning of. We worked together and made a list of words and made cards out of them. On one
side of the index card was a math vocabulary word and on the other side was a definition of a
new word. Students had to listen to the definition or description of a word and decide if they had
it. The game kept the students involved because they never knew when their card was going to
come up. Students should feel comfortable in front of their peers to participate, work together,

and collaborate often. My classroom was a judgment free zone where I like to think my students
enjoyed being.
During student teaching, I also took every opportunity to participate in professional
development. Every Friday there was a staff meeting, which I never missed. These meetings
helped me be aware of how helpful colleagues can be in the growth of my teaching education as
well as the activities I participated in. Since my background prior to Hunter was in applied
mathematics, at my undergraduate school I was inducted into Pi Mu Epsilon, a mathematical
honor society. I took the position as Vice President my senior year and am still active in the
honor society. I try to attend the conferences when they make their way to New York. I also
attended a conference at Hunter College on November 19th that consisted of many professional
workshops.
My intentions as a mathematics educator are to reach as many students as possible. The
coursework from Hunter taught me the importance of respecting students and peers, and my
fieldwork and student teaching helped me implement my knowledge. I continue to learn from my
students and colleagues and intend on instilling confidence in my students that math is possible
for everyone.