Takahiro Aono / Roundup
In a one and 10 minutes long pre-calculus class, a whiteboard of a room frequently changes its appearance with black, blue, red and sometimes green markers.
Writing about new functions of sine and cosine, a 26-year-old math teacher looks back from the board to his students with a simple question, “Does this make sense?” He never forgets to pay attention to their understandings.
Benjamin Smith, in the mathematics department, is one of teachers who have started their new career at Pierce College since the spring semester 2009. He teaches three different types of math class in a day and comes to stand on platforms four times a week.
“I am happy to be here,” said Smith who found out a job offer on the Pierce’s Web site where there were a lot of applicants gathered.
“I like to see people learn,” Smith said. “There is a lot of different aspects of teaching like grading aspects, designing lecture’s aspects, and actual interpersonal aspects of teaching. I like affecting that I can do a lot of different things. Math has lots of it.”
He, however, has well experiences of teaching in some schools. After he obtained a master’s degree in mathematics at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, he worked at Pasadena City College and California State University Los Angeles.
Drawing many graphs or circles on the board, he repeatedly explains how some formulas are important and applicable to other classes for his students. Smith says in a class, “The most important thing is how people use the formula good.”
“Pretty good teacher,” said Daniel Dena, a 19-year-old student in English. “Awkward sometimes, but overall he makes it pretty simple. So, it’s not hard to learn.” Daniel says Smith’s way of teaching makes what he is learning is always been easy to learn.
“I try entertaining like solving a puzzle. It’s something you want to do,” Smith said how to make students like mathematics. “I make it not stressful,” he added.
He also does not forget to strive to make a good relationship with students. A scene where students approach to him with questions after the class backs his words. He modestly says, “I think I get along with students and we have a good friendly relationship. It’s important to make math less difficult.”
“I like him teaching. He is young and funny,” said Danielle Takayama, a sophomore student in Nursing. “He is not like an older teacher so he explains easier. The style he is teaching is easier.”
While he has many things to teach in classes and many students to grade, he draws their attentions to let their faces up to him by an anecdote that is what he had experienced in his university life. It helps to mix his voice with students’ with their laughter.
He seems to have enjoyed his teaching. “I like the responsibility of this job.”
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