I don't remember my first student. He or she, however, helped
change my mind about teaching. It was a weekday afternoon
in 1993 or 1994, and I was over on Barnard College's campus,
tutoring math or English, for the first time. I had been
a miserable high-school student, with a hate/hate relationship
with my teachers and school. But as a novice tutor I began to
see both learning and teaching differently. The time I spent
with my middle- and high-school students working one-on-one
gave me a real stake in their academic success, which I found to
be a powerful motivator. And I was amazed at how thoroughly
I enjoyed teaching. I went on to graduate from Barnard's Education
Program with a certificate in physics education, and but for a fellowship
to study in England would probably have taught in the New York
City public school system.
In the decade since, I have taught math, astronomy, English, and
basketball, among other things. Seats in my classrooms have been filled
by very different students, ranging from immigrant
children at a Seattle elementary school for whom
math time is a release from the pressures of "speak English"
to middle-aged Parisian businessmen and women to whom
English had to be taught in a week. Throughout I have
tried to maintain my stake in my students' learning. Wanting my
students to succeed, whether in making a layup or in predicting
the time of day based on the phase of the Moon, has pushed me to
tailor my preparation to their needs.
I have never lost the slight sense of
panic when the time comes to get up in front of an audience--but I also
have never lost the intense satisfaction that comes from seeing a student
demonstrate mastery of a new concept.
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