Article December 27, 2010 Issue

Spiritual lessons in math class

BY KENDALL DAVIS

JUST BEFORE THE START of my feshman year in high school, my mother and I decided that I should begin going to the local public school, rather than the private one I had been attending.

After I transferred my files and sat for a few subject tests, the school placed me in an honors math class that was one year ahead of my fellow students. While I was excited for this challenge, the math teacher did not feel the same way. Upon completing roll call on the first day of class, he noted my year and declared, "Ha! This subject is already difficult for the sophomores. Good luck to you." That didn't set a great tone for the semester.

As time went on, it became clear that his attitude was not one reserved entirely for me. Any student who made an error, spoke out of turn, or did not achieve a perfect score on a test would receive a disdainful reply or a snide comment. This teacher's favorite question at the end of each day was, "Questions, comments, rude social remarks?" While that solicited a smile the first few times, it hit too close to how we all really felt and added to the already uncomfortable atmosphere. Needless to say, going to math class every day was not a pleasant experience for any of us, but we accepted it as simply a normal part of the high school experience. Hey, there would always be "bad teachers," right?