Thinking back on my learning experience, I’m grateful that I didn’t encounter many unprofessional teachers who negatively impacted my education. Before college, I studied in China and also took the national college entrance exam which is also called Gao Kao. In elementary school, I was not a “science person,” and math was my biggest nightmare. Back then, I often wished math could disappear from my life and kept questioning why we needed to study it at all. I had zero interest in the subject, and perhaps my math teacher was one of the reasons. She was a young lady with short hair and simple glasses. I still remember how afraid I felt in her class, especially of being called up to solve problems on the blackboard. Each time she responded with her impatient “unbelievable look” when students gave the wrong answer. I barely hear appraise words from her even when we got the correct answer. From then, I lost interest and motivation in studying math and I really thought I was too dumb to understand.
However, things changed in middle school. I had a new math teacher who was caring and supportive, and he made math engaging in ways I had never imagined. He explained concepts so clearly that they became interesting and easier to understand. By connecting the content with real-life examples, he made math much more approachable. His classes were always full of creativity; he introduced various activities and different types of assignments that allowed us to practice and develop a deeper understanding. In his class, I learned not only the concepts themselves but also how to think critically about problems. Even when I struggled with certain concepts and received a low score on a midterm, he remained patient and encouraged me to visit his office hours, where he walked me through the correct solution step by step.
As a teacher, the responsibility is not only to teach knowledge but also to cultivate ways of thinking and problem-solving skills. A good teacher focuses on how students are growing, rather than on how low their starting point might be. Being a good teacher also means creating a supportive environment, showing patience, and inspiring curiosity so that students feel encouraged to take risks in their learning. I hope to be a teacher like my middle school math teacher—to follow his example and make small but meaningful positive impacts on my students.
Elvie, I really like how you highlighted the contrast between your elementary and middle school experiences — especially the impact of fear versus encouragement. The detail about your elementary teacher’s ‘unbelievable look’ makes it clear how powerful teacher attitudes can be, while your middle school teacher’s patience, real-life examples, and creative activities show the practices that changed math for you. I also appreciate how you connected this directly to your own teaching goals — focusing on problem-solving, risk-taking, and growth. That specificity shows you’re not just reflecting on the past but actively shaping the kind of teacher you want to be.
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