Building Confidence in Calculus

Daily writing prompt

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

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I started college in my early twenties. I’ve always been a reader. I read magazines, books, articles, you name it. I didn’t struggle with English Lit, Biology, Speech, or any other classes. My weakest point was math. When it was time for me to take Calculus, I was terrified. I’ve always struggle with math. The teachers I had in high school were not the best, nor were they patient. In college I had this instructor, Ms. Melissa. She had this way of explaining the problem, how she got the answers and how it tied back to the most basic math rules that we all learned in elementary and middle school. She never sighed or roll her eyes when I asked a question. She would encourage us to as questions by saying “chances are, someone else has the same question but is too shy to ask it” or “there is no such thing as a stupid question”. I made a perfect score or nearly a perfect score on each of her exams. One day, her and I stroke up a conversation on a more personal level. I told her I hated that I was starting college in my early twenties and at times felt very behind. She told me she started college in her late thirties. She told me of her personal journey. Funny enough, she struggled with reading when she started college. But she persisted and was then in her PhD program set to graduate the following year. I didn’t realize how much she influence me until a few years down the road. I tell her story when I hear people say, “oh, I’m too old for that” or “I can’t do it”.