Pre-Class Math Assignment

Please tell us a little about yourself...
HOME	The Annapolis Valley has always been my home. I was brought up in the community of Hillaton located near Canning. Now, I live near Wolfville.
DEGREE(s)/Universities	In the October, 2000, I graduated with a Honours in Sociology and a Minor in Psychology. Last year, I started my Education degree at Mount Saint Vincent University, transferring for the winter term, and for the remainder of this program to Acadia University.

FAMILY	My Mother had taught school with a permissive license when she was only 16 or 17-years-old. She was a teacher at schoolhouses in Scott’s Bay and Blomidon. Often when shopping some of her former students would approach her to thank my Mother. She was always interested in their lives, and eager to learn about their families, and experiences. Mom was proud of all her students. Unfortunately, we lost her May 1, 2011 due to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s-related dementias. Dad spent his working life as a farmer. His farm consisted of raising livestock, as well as growing fruit, and vegetables. He later sold the farm, and became a stationary engineer for the Graves Plant which became Cobi Foods, and has since become Oxford foods. I have two older brothers. My brother Arthur lives in California. He has two young adult daughters, and a one-year-old adorable grandson. My brother, Paul lives with his wife, and children on the South Shore. Family time is precious; I always enjoy spending time whenever possible with my loved ones.
INTERESTS	My interests include: Learning differences, reading, movies, learning violin (especially classical violin), arts and crafts, Crokinole, playing board games, puzzles, and movies.
STRENGTHS you will bring to the math classroom	Math has always been a difficult subject for me, but I will always strive to do my best, and never give up, especially when helping a child. I would like to make the lessons fun, creative, engaging, and integrate games whenever possible. Our science professor, Mr. Gregory McKinnon also spoke to us about the use of technology in the classroom. I would also appreciate learning how to teach Math using Smart board programs.
CONCERNS you may have about teaching math	As a mature student, until last year, I have been absent from the classroom for a number of years minus my volunteer work at various schools. Math has always been a challenging subject. I do worry about making mistakes that could further confuse my future students.

ANYTHING ELSE you think we should know about you

I have a significant respiratory disease requiring treatment by my Respirologist. My illness is treated like a form of atypical cystic fibrosis (CF). This means by times that I require IV antibiotics. Often my IVs can be given at home. Sometimes, it’s necessary for me to be admitted to the hospital for a few days to receive IVs and aggressive chest physiotherapy. The VON also has a busy schedule. By times, I may need to miss a class or part of a class if they cannot work around my school schedule. However, despite these challenges I always work hard to stay on top of my classwork.

QUESTIONS that you might have for us

Will there be a time that we can receive extra help if necessary? In this course, will there be a lot of group work?