Letters from the Future

10 Years Teaching Experience

(Letter from student who disliked my teaching) Dear Mr. Siu,

I understand that you are trying to be a great Math teacher. Still, I find that your classes aren't that focused. You don't put an outline of what we're discussing during that class so I don't know what to expect. Also, you spend too much time lecturing during class. If we had more activities to make Math more interesting, or if we spent more time working on problems in-class (as opposed to you telling us the answers) then I think we could learn more. Also, you give way too much homework. My Chemistry teacher gives less homework! I think another way that you could make Math more interesting for us is to get us to do posters or projects on Math topics. That way, we could learn on our own. Also, if you were more available outside of the class hours, then I think I could ask more questions. Don't be discouraged. Thanks for trying to help us.

Kyle



(Letter from student who liked my teaching) Dear Mr. Siu,

I think you are one of the best teachers that I have ever had! You make Math interesting with your puzzles and real-life examples. Making real-life connections with games and toys was amazing! You don't spend the entire class lecturing to us. You give us time to work on problems in-class and you even let us do homework in-class! You're just as cool as my Chemistry teacher. The fact that you're very approachable makes it easy for me to ask questions. Your jokes are sometimes lame, but other times they're hilarious. Thanks for caring.

Sophie



From these two fabricated letters, I was able to verbalize some of my hopes and fears as a teacher. I am afraid of lecturing for too much time during the class or not keeping the students engaged in the class. I hope that I will seem approachable to the students and always devote enough time to my students, looking out for their needs.