My Starting Place

My journey in Mathematics started in Kindergarten, when I made a conscious decision to skip over all words that contained a R, because I couldn’t make the R sound. So when I counted I had 1,2,5,6,7,8,9,10…I couldn’t get past 14, but I would only say up to 12. Since I missed 3 and 4, teachers figured I could not understand how to count. Struggling in math continued until I was in Grade 11, when something clicked. I then found math so enjoyable that I decided to start with it as a minor in my secondary education degree. I eventually decided to switch into middle years education, but have always found math one of my favorite subjects to teach.

My friends always hated math, and they would tease me about why I like math so much, I always had what I thought was the perfect answer for this question. Math was always going to be the same, 1+1=2 no matter which country you were in, no matter what race, gender, abilities, or what is happening in your personal life.

The more classes I have taken in math, and the more I have taught math classes, the less I believe this. Math has so many different meanings, contexts, and interpretations. I am learning that math is more than a subject in school but also has valuable connections to worldwide paradigms and has the ability to bring cultures together. I am hoping that EMTH 425 enhances my understanding of the role that culture has on Mathematics, as well as the role that Mathematics has on culture.

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