2 Memorable Teachers

Notes About Two Memorable Teachers

Mr. Norm Cheng (gr. 12 math teacher):
· Not the greatest teacher ever.
· Tended to be somewhat cranky, particularly in the mornings.
· Often made fun of his students, and was generally quite hilarious.
· Did a pretty good job of pointing out links between different concepts.
· Quite devoted to helping students succeed.
· Helped me teach myself calculus.
Dr. Joel Feldman (3rd year Real Analysis instructor):
· Possibly the most intelligent, well rounded math instructor in the history of math instruction.
· Genius at finding ways to explain very abstract concepts.
· Extremely challenging assignments that forced you to think creatively.
· Very helpful, and cared about student success.
· Conveyed an aura of total competence and mastery of his subject.

Reflection:
I think I admire both of these men. Mr. Cheng was the first instructor to teach me the awesome power of mathematics, and he gave me my first glimpse at what the subject was really about. Dr. Feldman was not typical of an instructor in an honours course, because he treated all of his students equally whether they were geniuses or not. Also, he would make time for you beyond the scope of his regular office hours. In addition to all this, he is a brilliant mathematician. The combination of genius and competent instructor is exceedingly rare, but that is exactly what Joel Feldman is. In my teaching, I would strive to be similar to both of these men by being considerate of my students’ needs, and encouraging them to think in creative ways.