High Expectations

The Fields Medal, viewed as the highest award given to mathematicians, was recently awarded to Maryam Mirzakhani, a mathematician of Iranian descent currently working at Stanford University, and studying the topology of abstract surfaces.  There is an article about Dr. Mirzakhani here.

What struck me when I read the article was that Dr. Mirzakhani did not set out to be a mathematician, but thought early on that she wanted to be a writer.  During her first year in middle school in Iran, Dr. Mirzakhani did poorly in her math class, her belief in her ability stunted by a teacher who "didn't think she was particularly talented".  The article goes on to say, "The following year, Mirzakhani had a more encouraging teacher, however, and her performance improved enormously."

I continue to be amazed at the power teachers have in demonstrating their belief (or lack thereof) in their students.  And I often wonder if I am consistently sending those positive belief messages to each of my students.  

Sometimes I know I have been successful.  I remember Laura who would tell me "I can't do this" whenever we started something new.  At the beginning of the year, I would respond "Of course not, we just started learning it.  But you'll get better at it; I'll help you."  As the year went on, I responded, "You can't do it, yet, but you will."  At one point in the second semester, Laura looked up from the problem she had barely started and again said, "I can't do this."  She looked at me, sighed, and said "Yet," then went back to work on the problem and solved it correctly.

Other times, I don't know if I am as successful, so I am always on the lookout for ways to make sure I am sending the messages, "This is important; you can do it; and I won't give up on you."  Recently, I came across Richard Curwin's article, Believing in Students: The Power to Make a Difference and was reminded about some of the things I can do to communicate positive expectations for my students.

It is my hope and my intention to demonstrate to my students my belief in their ability to succeed, through my words, my grading policies, how I build relationships with them, and through every one of the hundreds of decisions I make in a class period.  Each of my students needs to leave my class feeling like I cared and believed in them.

And not just because one of them could be a future Fields Medal winner.  

Because each one of them deserves it.