We owe a great big thanks to teachers! They equip us with many of the basic skills that we use on a daily basis. Beth McBride has been an educator for over twenty-nine years, and currently she is a seventh-grade language arts teacher. I got the chance to speak with her about her job and the use of math in her daily work.
Can you explain what you do for a living?
I educate students at the middle school level in standards related to reading, writing and vocabulary.
When do you use basic math in your job?
Grading is one place where math is used. The actual computation is done through electronic grade programs, but weighting values of assignments is still a human process. Math is used to analyze test results and gauge student learning.
Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?
Absolutely! My strength is English. In the middle school, math teachers and English teachers have a healthy respect for and rivalry against each other.
How do you think math helps you do your job better?
Math is an exercise in reasoning, problem solving and utilizing already proven strategies to get where you want to go. Life is an exercise in reasoning, problem solving and utilizing already proven strategies to get where you want to go.
What kind of math did you take in high school?
I took all of the required college prep courses. I LOVED geometry, but the only “D” I have ever received in my life was in high school algebra. My father, an engineer, insisted on “helping” me, and his older methods were different than those I learned in school. I “fired” him and got a B.
Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?
Several years ago, I taught all subjects. There was a point when we adopted a variant math program, and I had to relearn many concepts in a new way to present as the state believed it should be taught. It is difficult to relearn something you know using a variant method. Now, I understand how my father felt in the above scenario.
As we see every week in the Math at Work Monday series, math plays a vital role in more jobs than we realize. Educators like Beth give us many of the skills we need to succeed in life.
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