This I Believe- Why I Want to Teach       

Mark A. Mentzer PhD   

     Every time I see a student’s eyes open to the possibilities in the understanding of math and science, I am reminded of why I teach. As a new high school teacher and GED coach, I find my students show excitement and amazement as we discover the power of mathematics.  My personal satisfaction derives from the positive responses of both student and parents, as I help my students develop and perform to their full potentials.  In some of the high need students I find the greatest potential for improvement and success, and we have been able to overcome the most daunting obstacles to personal progress. 

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     I anticipate many challenges.  These include development of flexible classroom management skills, and techniques to address the needs of an entire class, while embracing unique individual student requirements.  I find such a diversity of learning paradigms, study skills, and understanding of problem solving methodologies; and I eagerly anticipate my personal assimilation of new teaching methods and successful teaching experiences.  

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     It seems many classroom scenarios represent an urgent need for improved communication- especially with those students who are failing.  This should be coupled with communication to both the distracted students and the others, regarding the end-of-term exams, and the type and nature of those exam questions.  Having tutored for the HSAs, I believe student confidence and performance can be elevated through properly focused preparation for those exams.  This would be coupled to the required curricula in an integrated fashion, so that mathematic and scientific analytical skills provide a foundation for more extended learning processes.

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     For the most troubled students I implement improved value propositions, and reward and acknowledge proper behavior.  Rather than trying to "make" the students behave, they must be shown the results of their positive efforts.  Individual tutoring and direct communication during my Math Club improve overall classroom behavior, as elevated trust and respect ensue from the ongoing process of teaching the value of the learning process.

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     I chose these strategies based on positive experiences in my tutoring and substitute teaching during the past several years.  My experience as a private tutor and academic counselor, to a wide range of student abilities and academic levels, also motivated my decision to become a school teacher.  I love the process of continuous improvement and evolution of my teaching skills, focusing on students awakening to their own possibilities.  

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     I truly believe that all students have the potential to achieve their very best, and I would suggest this equates to "high academic achievement."  I recently tutored a troubled individual for his GED exams.  He felt strongly that, while his wife and family were really rooting for him, and everyone felt he would be able to accomplish his diploma he was just not capable of understanding the subject matter to the level needed to pass his exams.  He spent many years, up to the age of 42, with that self-doubt; but was finally ready to face the challenge of the GED directly.

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     I began by discussing the academic struggles that led to the student dropping out in the tenth grade.  Then I showed him a few questions from each area of the GED, to give him a feel for our challenge.  And I took on the challenge for myself, and assured him that together we would learn the material and put in the time and effort- no matter what that represented- so he could pass the GED.  We worked several nights per week for three months, never stopping until we worked at least three hours.  I gave him additional assignments, and he completed them in time for our sessions.  We worked hundreds of problems together; and then I slowly backed away, as he was able to complete answers on his own.  I went home at night, barely able to sleep, as the excitement grew with this student's progress.

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     Finally it was time for his first test.  It was graded at the exam site, and he received his results immediately.  When I showed up for our next session, he and his wife greeted me at their door, and they each gave me a big hug.  With tears in his eyes, he informed me, he not only passed the first of five exams, but his score was rather sensational!  That student passed all five exams; and recently I attended a party with his friends and family, celebrating his diploma! 

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     While I did not admit this to the student, I too felt his passing the GED was a long shot, based on our starting point.  But I now know that, if I can gain the attention of the students, engage them in a concerted value proposition, personally accept the very same challenge faced by the student, instill trust that I am fully committed to their (and our) success- then I know that the likelihood of high academic achievement is indeed very high.  I want to take the long shots.

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     I am committed to that same challenge in whichever classroom I may serve.  I truly value education and the personal satisfaction I feel seeing student progress.  That GED student actually saved all our notes and problems, my lecture materials, and handwritten diagrams, and placed them into a scrapbook, along with his passing test scores and his diploma.  What a great feeling that represented to everyone involved!  

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     I believe that good teachers must assume a very high responsibility for what transpires with the students' successful performance.  Certainly students are not innately equipped with the knowledge of how to optimize their academic success; this should be part of the education delivered by the teacher.  I find that, when students are shown how they can succeed, they begin to experiment with their own capabilities.  I feel great satisfaction, seeing the look of recognition as they begin to extend themselves- solving a math problem, suggesting a possible solution, and then realizing they just did something they hadn't realized they were capable of.  I take responsibility for the learning process, and strive to apply it in the best manner possible for each classroom and each individual involved.  I anticipate students taking increased responsibility for their academic success, as they are equipped with the tools allowing them to progress on their own initiatives.   This, I believe, is how I will best spend the remainder of my career in order to provide the most benefit to the communities I serve.

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Mentzer Brief Bio

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Dr. Mark A. Mentzer is an experienced educator and engineer in academic, commercial, and military sectors. Mentzer has operated an aerospace defense company, managed an optical-engineering and manufacturing company, and led global-product development in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He taught graduate engineering and physics for seven years at Penn State University, and presented at conferences including the National Academy of Sciences. His three technical books are widely distributed, with more than seven thousand copies sold in print and electronic media. For the past five years he has taught upper-level high-school mathematics and science courses, and served as adjunct associate professor of engineering and computer science at University of Maryland University College. He also teaches extensively for WyzAnt Personal Tutoring and Coaching. Mentzer’s current appointment is as high school math teacher at Nandua High School in Onley Virginia, where he enjoys restoring wooden yachts and writing several works of fiction.