Math Autobiography

MAT 332
I have always loved being a student. School was forever a source of great
accomplishment and happiness for me and I would find myself sad when the school year
finally came to a close. Currently, I am a Middle Level Education Math Student at
Wilmington University, minoring in Social Studies. As a senior, I have four classes this
semester and will begin my student teaching in the spring. Originally, I started with
Wilmington University in 2012 as a part-time student taking classes solely online but
having to adjust to both online and in-class coursework due to the program
requirements at the University. This transition has not always been easy as I am also a
mother and wife who has had to make career choices to be at home with my children,
while continuing my education. Going back to school and obtaining my degree was a
goal that I have always felt I needed to complete and despite being out of high school for
over 18 years I decided to finally make my dream a reality. In those lost years as I like
to call them, the time between high school and now, I held only a few but lengthy retail
positions often in higher management, among them included becoming a Regional
Training Manager for Phillips Van Heusen for about 10 years. However, ultimately my
dream won out and here I am a student. Describing my personality is much more
difficult, for me at least, as this is a matter of opinion. I would say that I am organized
to a fault, logical, and detail-oriented. Friends would say that I am hard working,
friendly, and fun loving, except when the Redskins play and then I am in a different
world altogether.
Describing math is so much easier. Math is awesome! Math is what I would
describe as a game/puzzle that I have to solve. It has been my favorite subject ever

since I can remember, primarily because there are right/wrong answers. There are no
shades of grey as with English, where 25 student essays can and are completely
different. Those definitive, logical answers are what drew me to the subject not to
mention the thrill of obtaining a correct answer! My love of math was almost always
reflected in my grades, often resulting in an A, except for those first college years (long
before Wilmington) when a social life won out. However, there have been a few bumps
along the way. First was around the third or fourth grade with the introduction of
fractions. It wasnt that I didnt understand them but more the fact that it took longer
for me to understand them. They didnt seem to come as easy as previous math skills
and that frustrated me to no end. Persistence nevertheless won out and my math
success continued. Second and probably the worst experience I have encountered with
math was in the seventh grade. I had a horrible teacher by the name of Mrs. Faulders.
She taught Pre-Algebra and I can say that I struggled in her classroom. The idea of
variables not to mention inequalities, and probabilities were enough to send me running
for the hills. This was an instance where I needed to understand the why of math or the
process, and Mrs. Faulders was not willing to give me the time or the explanation that I
needed to fully understand the material. Despite my hard work, I achieved a C in this
class, forcing me to make the decision to either repeat the course (since this was an
honors class) or to continue on to Algebra I despite a poor understanding of the
material. I opted to repeat the course in the 8th grade achieving an A with a different
teacher. Choosing to repeat the course provided me the opportunity to really learn the
material and to achieve success in future math courses but still left me with a sense of
being less than my peers who remained in the honors math class.

I learn math best by having the material explained to me, whether in person,
reading text, or by video). I like to see the process and then have the opportunity to
practice the problems to assess my understanding. When I encounter a problem where I
get stuck I will often return to an example problem, re-read the explanation (if given)
and follow the process through until I am able to arrive at the correct answer. If this
doesnt work for me I will make a phone call, visit, or email the professor. I have no
problem asking for help if I dont understand something. The mystery of the problem is
too strong not to ask for help. Math coursework is always the subject I go to first;
procrastination here is never an issue. In a typical math course I begin by reading the
text, taking notes as I go and then add those to the ones given in class. Sometimes my
own words mean more than those given by a professor. The sample problems and
homework are also are a big part of my study habits as they help me to determine where
I need to focus my attention.
I will say that I am excited for this semester. Im interested to learn how the
study of mathematics began and evolved throughout history not to mention the impact
the past has played in our current system. History after all is a theme of my minor
(Social Studies). My main responsibility in this course is to myself, to learn all that I
can so that I may use what I learn in my future profession. My History of Math class as
well as all of my other math classes here at Wilmington will play a huge role in my goal
of becoming an educator. As a math teacher, I will be required to share my
understanding of the material with that of my students. Their success is what I will be
judged on. Accomplishing this will require me to tailor and deliver the content in a
format that they will understand and my own knowledge of the material and my ability
to deliver will dictate not only their success but my own as well.