My STEM Path

I have really struggled with this blog post. It has undergone major changes multiple times. 

To answer the questions regarding my personal STEM journey, I guess I must start with what I feel my identity is. 

The main driving forces in my life are my spiritual beliefs. They govern (by choice) my priorities and the direction my life has taken. Second to that is my family influence, both as a child, and now as an adult. My gender, race, age, etc... have never really been a factor for me.

The core of my spiritual belief is that I am here to improve and progress, and that as I do, I become more like God. That is my ultimate goal, to become more like Him. My secondary goal is to attain the education necessary so that I can provide for my family with a job I enjoy. With these two things in mind, I feel that I have a sense of belonging and purpose in any wholesome and worthwhile endeavor that brings me closer to my goals. There isn't a perfect path, and choosing mine has taken a long time.

My biggest role models are my parents. They showed me that no matter what I chose to do for a career, they would support and love me. There was no wrong path to take, no expectations to follow aside from doing my best and learning from my mistakes. STEM was something I enjoyed and so, feeling no pressure to follow a specific educational journey, I blundered into the field, unsure of what I was doing or where I was going with it.

The turning point for me was becoming a math tutor at GCC. I was good at Math and wanted to make a little money, so I stepped out of my comfort zone and applied for the position. I didn't think I would, but I LOVED IT. I loved helping people who struggled. I loved seeing the lightbulb blink on when they finally understood what they were doing. I loved their excitement when they mastered something difficult and felt triumphant. I knew then that I wanted to teach math.

As I have taken math courses, I have observed how different teachers approached instruction. Some lecture non-stop with almost no interaction (yawn!), some move along at breakneck speed, others take time to explain, observe, and interact. One of my teachers was especially inspirational. He geared his lessons, homeworks, and exams toward learning instead of testing, experiencing instead of transcribing, discussion instead of silence. It was an amazing experience. His goal wasn't to prepare his students to get high grades, it was to prepare us for a life in Math. Some people know Math, others can teach Math. He could definitely teach it. I hope to be like him one day.


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