Teaching Mathematics through the Lens of History
It is my professional goal as a middle school teacher to provide a fundamental understanding of mathematics to my students and to imbue in them a love for the subject. With the support of a scholarship from the NCTM with an emphasis on the history of mathematics, I would be well equipped to provide my students the best opportunity for success in understanding mathematical concepts while showing them the historical context of where these concepts came from. I hope to use my experience to prepare stronger, more well-informed units of study and to share my gained knowledge with colleagues through professional development opportunities. It is my additional, perhaps less professional goal, to always be prepared to accurately respond to a student when they ask, "Why are we learning this?"