Your first OpenLab Discussion assignment is to introduce yourself to your classmates. This assignment is due Tuesday, September 3rd, at the start of class. Late submissions will receive partial credit.
Assignment. Add a comment in reply to this post introducing yourself to the class (click “COMMENTS” just below the title above). Your comment should be at least 2 paragraphs in length. In the first paragraph, introduce yourself in whatever way you wish. You could include your academic interests, why you chose your major, what you enjoy reading, listening to, watching, and doing in your spare time, or anything else you want to share (include your pronouns, if you wish). In the second paragraph, choose ONE of the following two topics and write a response. Don’t forget to tell us which topic you chose.
Topics (choose ONE).
- Was math ever your favorite subject? If so, when was it? What about math made it your favorite? If math has never been your favorite subject, what about it do you not like?
- Sometimes people can recognize a time when their opinion of math dramatically changed either for the better or the worse. Tell us about it.
Extra Credit. Get to know your classmates! For extra credit, write a response to one of your classmates’ comments. Do you feel the same? Did you learn anything? Do you have any advice? Be kind.
Heyy! My name is Jared Cruz and I am currently working towards my Bachelor’s in Mathematics Education. I chose this major because I believe that problem solving comes naturally to me. I would say that I am able to grasp onto key concepts and utilize critical thinking which helps take on difficult problems. Usually on my spare time I work out. I consider it a great way to alleviate the stress from the semester and work. Also, I enjoy listening to Spanish pop while working out since it gets me pumped up.
(Tpoic 1)
Yes, math is still my favorite subject. However, my liking for math has slowly been diminishing because it has been getting progressively harder. I guess the fact that I’ve always been able to grasp onto the material real quick, and been able to help explain the hard concepts to peers made me like math. Also, there’s always such a rewarding feeling to helping others out. Not to mention, the comments you get by other peers are pretty funny, “You should know this! You’re smart.” Working under pressure is something else.
Hi Jared, that happened to me already, still does and yes on this journey rest assured the material does become harder. Don’t look at it as pressure, look at it as your ability to forge on. As one of my math colleages once said to me, “As a math major you may fail a class, just get back in the class and pass the next time.”
My name is Irina Chernyavskiy I’m a math education major. I choose this major because I was already working as a math tutor, the students liked me and I enjoy the work. I love watching movies (both foreign and domestic films) in my spare time. I like how you can see the directors take on different themes and topics. My favorite films at the moment are Double Indemnity (1944), Knives Out (2019) and Parasite (2019).
Topic 1:
Math has never really been my favorite subject chemistry is. I see how useful it is though both in everyday life and with understanding the world around us. My least favorite parts of the subject have to do not with the subject itself with how it is taught for example the speed at which the professor goes and how much practice problems/homework is given. Another thing I’m not fond concerning math is how is the perception by the general population.
I really liked Knives Out – and I appreciate that your other two faves are from 2019 and 1944, very far separated in time! I’ll add them to my list.
Regarding Chemistry, I’ve heard extremely good things about the Organic Chemistry courses taught by Peter Spellane here at City Tech – he apparently does a fantastic job of integrating history and real-world examples into the subject. (I like Chemistry, too, although I haven’t studied it beyond high school level – but I did draw an enormous periodic table with room for the next 100 or so new (undiscovered) elements, and presented it to my high school chemistry teacher)
I used to be a chemistry major that is what I got my associates degree in. In high school and a bit of college I would get an empty periodic table and scribble in the names of the elements. I didn’t present it my teachers though.
Knives Out is set to have a sequel centering around the detective the release date has not been confirmed as of yet. I tended to be more interested in black & white films but since I got a subscription to AMC A-List it allowed me the chance to see a lot of the newer movies (before the pandemic).
I didn’t expect to see the movie ‘Parasite’. I recommend other movies from the director Bong. If you like a horror movie, watch ‘the host’. If you like a thriller movie, watch ‘mother’.
I’m a big fan of foreign films mostly due to an interest in languages. Mother I have seen I love the ambiance and set design of the movie. I do really love horror movies I think the scariest movie I have watched to date has been Veronica. It might still be on Netflix I don’t know. It’s a really good Spanish movie. Bong’s other works and The Host are definitely on my list going forward thanks
Youre absolutely riighta directors take on a scene of events can dramatically alter the event . I recently started developing film and studying cinematic photography and it has changed everything I thought about the way a film flows. Havent seen double indemnity but what makes this a favorite ?
My name is Han Zhang. I am math education major. exactly , I have a bachelor degree in landscape horticulture. I change my career three years ago because I want to be a teacher. I hope to help students to get the academic achievements and help them to fly higher to make their dreams come true. in my leisure time, I like gardening, camping and hiking. I like nature and hope to be close to it.
Topic 1:
Math is my favorite subject . I think we can make a palace of thinking about everything. when we reading, we will abstract words, numbers in the mind to build image thinking. when we writing, the activity events that we construct in our minds are represented by words. So for mathematics, just like architects, we use logic to build a balanced palace in our mind, just like climbing a mountain, we create different routes to the top.there are lots of fun during the processing, or we can say during the proofs.
Dear Han – I’m very interested to hear that you have a degree in landscape horticulture. I’m sure that you look at the world differently because of this (would love to hear more about it sometime). I’m struck by your “palace of thinking” idea – one of the things I like about this class is that is combines the structure and rules of mathematics with the expressive power of language – great building materials!
Wow so Han are you still designing and interested in plant cultivation after changing your major ?
Hello All, my name is Denyese Gonsalves McCoy. I am a Math Education Major. However, I do enjoy writing a good essay if I have to, but not as much as struggling with Math problems. In my spare time I work out in the gym and bake, a bit of a contrast but I don’t eat everything I bake. I chose this major because I feel that the true essence of Mathematics lies in the way, you can make another understand the material.
When I was a teenager Math was not my favorite subject. I liked it but I was not very good at it. At that time I felt that you needed to be some kind of prodigy or naturally mathematically inclined to excel at math. In addition to this the mathematically inclined or “gifted” math students were the students the teachers paid attention to and Mathematics became quite intimidating to me because I did not always grasp a concept as quickly as the other students and I would be highly embarrassed. I am a bookkeeper now and as such I have an eye for detail. When I returned to college I soon realized that when I use this same skill in mathematics along with patience, mathematics became highly rewarding.
I chose Topic 1
Hello Denyese! I agree with you in regards to how rewarding solving a Mathematical problem can be. I can relate to you about that feeling you get of joy when you help someone else understand how to solve a problem.
Thank you Ihn:
Ah yes there is nothing like encouragement from a Math Professor! There is a sense that you are doing something right..I see you can relate to the lack of support from teachers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your introduction…I learned that I am not alone with the struggle and how easy a student can loose interest.
I remember feeling like you did towards math when I was high school. It was only through lots of patience and hard work that I really started to see improvements in my grades for math. I remember the first time someone asked me for help it was so rewarding to see them succeed.
I can understand how you feel being embrassed and not knowing the information . I spent pretty much my whole high school education in this state . I stuck to guns and banged it out and I’m happy you pushed through as well.
Hello, my name is Ihn Lee and I am from Korea. During my spare time, I listen to Kpop, watch shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime, play board games with my children, watch movies with my wife, and play with our dog, Milo. Milo is a two year old Havanese and is a very friendly and playful dog. We all love him a lot and enjoy his company.
When I was young, Math was my favorite subject in school. During my first year in highschool, Math became harder and harder to understand and I lost interest because of a lack of support from my teachers. Originally, I was a Mechanical Engineering major but I switched to Math Ed. I decided to change my major to Math Ed because I was inspired by my Calculus professor here at City Tech. Math has become, once again, my favorite subject. I have a renewed curiosity to explore this subject and learn as much as possible.
It seems we had a some what similar experiences for high school, I didn’t really have support from my teachers until maybe the last half of sophomore year. I’m glad you found the inspiration to pursue your curiosity. By the way what shows do you like to watch on Netflix?
I just finished watching Suit from Amazon Prime. I watched dexter, breaking bad, blacklist, and so on. I guess I like to watch something related to crimes.
Hi! My name is Allison. I am a CUNYBA major with a concentration of math and network security. I enjoy watching horror movies and listening to early 90s hip hop (my high school era!). My favorite horror movies are The Devil’s Rejects and The Others. My favorite directors are Rob Zombie for horror, and Spike Lee/Quentin Tarantino (not horror).
Math was never my favorite subject growing up. I always allowed it to intimidate me. In my college days (1994-1998), whenever given the choice, I ran from math and took the bare minimal math course to complete a requirement for college. I even went to law school to escape math. Since I wanted to pursue an advanced degree, but did not want to take the GRE because of the math component, I pursued a career in law. Later, after taking the bar exam, I got a job working for the federal government. My job offered to pay for my schooling, so I chose to challange myself and pursue a career in math education. It is still very challenging and intimidating, however I like math now because there is only one answer. When given a problem to solve, there is only one answer to the question. I also like math because it is good excerise for the brain and a universal language.
Hi Allison –
Seems like we’re on a somewhat similar path. I’m also a career changer pursuing a career in math education. Nice to know I’m not the only one in this class! Also I feel very much the same way about appreciating the ‘1 answer only’ aspect of math. Although I’m a little concerned that Professor Reitz may challenge that notion in this class! We’ll see….
Right! We’ll see! This should be an interesting class!
Hi guys. My name is Jack Berner. I’m taking a few MAT classes as a non-degree student at City Tech this semester. I think some of you are in some of my other classes too, which I’m happy about. My situation is maybe a bit unusual – I already received my Bachelor’s from a different college. I’m back in undergraduate classes now because I’m trying to make myself eligible for graduate programs in Adolescent Mathematics Education despite my not having been a math major in college. My end goal is to teach at the high school level, so I’m not sure how useful a lot of these deeper level math courses that I’m taking will be to me in the future. But I’m really excited about this class in particular because I think it’ll deepen my understanding of Mathematics on a fundamental level, which will probably make me a much better math teacher, regardless of subject level.
Math was probably my favorite subject in High School. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist, but a lot of things in life and other disciplines don’t really accommodate perfection so well. So I’ve always found it incredibly satisfying to tackle a really complex math problem and know when I’m done that my answer is “perfect.” Or completely wrong haha. Despite that, I ended up going a very different direction in college and pursued a career in film production. That’s been a lot of fun, but it didn’t fulfill my desire for problem solving and really testing the limits of my thinking the way math did. So when covid happened I used it as an opportunity to stop what I was doing and work towards becoming a math teacher. It’s been really rewarding so far and I’m excited to (hopefully) start my graduate studies this spring.
Hello Jack,
Im Chris. I believe we may be in other MAT classes together too. I find it awesome that you went from something where you enjoyed working and had fun and are pursuing something that you find more rewarding and mentally stimulating. It took me a few years of working to realize what it is I wanted to do. Nothing I did made me feel how accomplished I felt when my first group of students graduated(5th grade) or when the students saw their grades on the state exams were much higher than they thought they’d get. It is awesome that you’re so close to getting to here you want to be career wise, I wish you a smooth semester and the best of luck in your potential start to your graduate studies.
Cristopher – thanks for the kind and inspiring words!
Hello everyone,
My name is Chris and I am a Math Ed major. I am entering my fourth semester at City Tech and it has been a very nice experience coming back to school. I started at City Tech almost 10 years after graduating high school in hopes of finally completing a degree and becoming a NYC school math teacher. I’ve worked with kids for almost eight years and love to see children succeed in their academic journeys. I have experience working with elementary students, but can not wait to face the challenges of middle school and high school students.
Math was my passion, my star subject, my bread and butter and all the positive things I could think of for a majority of my life. I received fours on state tests as a kid, passed all my regents in the first two years in high school and would be who friend’s and family came to for math help. Fast forward ten years with not much application of what I learned and it all seems like a foreign language to me. (LOL)This statement is a little exaggerated, but it’s how it felt for that moment when I first came back. Several classes later and i’m still hanging in, trying my best and now seeing math in more of a love/hate type of way. But i look forward to this semester with everyone, good luck to all!
Awesome! NYC schools need teachers with a passion for math. I can definitely relate math is my “bread and butter.” I admire that you work with elementary school students, as someone who works with highschool students and loves it, it’s exciting to see that you are up for the task. Good luck in all your endeavors!
Hello Nina,
Thank you for your kind words.
Btw your story seems too familiar!!!
By any chance did you have prof Zhu and Camilien too for prior math courses?
Yes, yes I did. HI CHRIS!!!!!
Hi everyone, my name is Matt and I’m an applied mathematics major-this semester is my halfway point through the math degree requirements. After having bounced around in the social sciences a handful of years ago I recently decided to go back to school to pursue my true interests; previously I had convinced myself it was too late to get into math and comp sci after getting off track in my youth (I’m not that old only 28). My in between years were spent working my way up to junior partner at a residential solar contractor before having my quarter-life crisis which led me back to math and comp sci. Besides school I spend a lot of time building out python projects (trying to incorporate the math I learn as much as possible), reading, listening to podcasts, and focusing on my health. The last book I read was The Precipice by Toby Ord, I am currently reading How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil, and for podcasts I highly recommend The Portal with Eric Weinstein.
Math was probably my favorite subject as a child, I wouldn’t say it came as easily to me as other certain students, but the combination of its creative nature combined with its unrelenting power to describe our world (and others) and explain phenomena captured me. My opinion of math dramatically changed (and school for that matter) about halfway through 8th grade when my mother passed away from cancer. My interest in my own education had gone to zero at that point, but math probably into the negatives as I had a string of particularly bad math teachers for the remainder of my required math education. That combined with a heavy video game addiction thoroughly altered the trajectory of my life, but now looking back I am able see how those moments brought me to where I am toady. With perspective I am now able to see that where I will be in the next 5 years will be much better with greater wisdom and success than I could have accomplished had I not gone through this journey. I continue to struggle in an academic setting, but my commitment grows stronger the harder the subject material becomes. So I guess my feelings about math changed dramatically twice in my life- once when I walked away from it and another when I decided to come back.
Hi Matt! Thanks for your response. Ray Kurzweil is one of those authors and thinkers that I’ve always wanted to explore, but never found the right jumping-off point – maybe it’s How to Create a Mind?
I’m a firm believer that life experience helps with *everything* – glad to hear you found your way back around to math, and I’m sure the things you’ve done will inform every part of your education. Welcome back!
Hello everybody, my name is Jodel Delectable. I was born and raised in Haiti. I did my high school in Haiti. My major is Math Education. And the reason why I am majoring in Math Education is because since I was in High School, I felt more comfortable dealing with numbers than papers. When I had a math exercise to solve, I felt more enthusiasm to think and to do research of how to solve it if I had difficulties. I enjoy reading Bible and every relevant books that are related to God’s words. I enjoy listening to Gospel music; moreover, I do listen to hip-hop, R & B and American slow music just to recognize the rhythm and lyrics so that when kids at church are singing them I can remind them where they are. In fact, I don’t really have anything specific to watch; however, lately while spending my spare time with my sons, they caught my attention in watching cartoon with them, precisely Tom & Jerry.
From high school I knew my major in college had to be something related to numbers. Therefore, my major was previously Civil Engineer and math Education was my secondary major. Something drastic had happened in my life so I had to stop for two years. But, at that time, I was still taking at least one math class that was related to Math Education each semester. When I got back on my feet, I realized stopping was not an option; therefore, I made up my mind to finish it. This is how Math Education became my primary major.
Hello world im Luis lora the second . A young fellow working on his math education degree. interests include but not limited to study of mycology , Norse mythology , trotskyism, sustainable construction , ww2 rise of Russian and German industrial , atomic nuclear policy and so much more. On my free time I play guitar and attempt the ukulele . You can generally find me outside on beautiful days climbing in Central Park or taking photographs around New York. For music lovers I listen to pretty much anything that has a drum ,guitar ,piano whatever from German disco pop to screaming metal core .
What can I say about mathematics that Richard Feynman hasn’t already said if you want to learn about nature you must learn the language for which she speaks in . I began my college career a carpenter in the hopes of building my own house . It was this study that introduced me to the laws of geometry and the use of triangles . I enjoy solving puzzles and researching thats probably why I’m still here . My opinion on mathematics changed drastically when I heard the stories of John Nash , Alan Turing, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Srinivasa ramanjuan . All matheicans who battled through hardship like nothing I’ve seen from a lack of mentorship, bias believers , color discrimination, mental disorders , religious discrimination, low income wages so much more… While I may not able to produce the same awe inspiring ideas and movements as those before me I hope to at least have taught those who maybe can and if only two students have benefited then im happy with just that.
Hi,
I’m my name is Nina Melendez; I am pursuing a degree in Math Education. I chose this degree to become fully certified as a highschool math teacher(a role I have been in for 6 years). I hold an undergrad in Visual Arts and a Masters degree in Special Education with a Bilingual Extension. Additionally, as personal interests go I spend a lot of time gardening and when possible traveling.
Ironically Math was not my favorite subject in school(high school), although I always performed well, my focus was towards the arts. I was most active in art and drama class. I think my interest in Math spiked when I had to teach it. When I was hired as a public school teacher they needed someone to teach Algebra (I originally wanted to be an ELA teacher), since I always did well I offered to teach the Algebra 1 curriculum in both a Stand alone and co-taught classroom. As they say the rest is history, I currently teach Bilingual High School Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 by myself for 30% of the day and I co-teach in al Algebra Classroom the rest of the periods. I would not want to teach any other content.