I have two different situations that come to mind when considering memorable math teachers. The first was in high school with the three teachers I had for my whole high school experience. The first teacher encouraged me to challenge myself by taking AP math in successive years; he knew I would have been bored and underchallenged had I stayed in the regular route. The second teacher was just a strong teacher who explained things in such a way that I could easily understand them. My final teacher, grade 12 and calculus, was a phenomenal instructor who was also very easy to approach and cared about us beyond simply what we did in his classroom.
The second experience that has had impact on me as a teacher came much more recently. The last two years teaching in Calgary, I shared my classroom with the master math teacher. The first year I was very resistent to her suggestions, especially if I had not asked for advise. The second year I realized that she was just trying to help me become the best math teacher I could possibly be. I enjoyed sitting in on her classes and seeing her at work. Seeing how she inspires the students to do their personal best and not try to live up to anyone elses standard. She is someone I truly wish to become like. I still contact her often when I am need a word of encouragement.
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