What students had to say about this class!

Thank each of you for taking the time to write the comments and for taking this class. For people who weren’t there it may be confusing that people keep talking about my goals. So I better tell you what I had set my goals to be (rather lofty and idealistic, but hey, we can all hope). Well, the ultimate one anyway:

• If you do not already, by the end of semester you should love and appreciate the beauty and powers of reason and geometry.

Ø As for the goals I definitely think they were accomplished, at least in my case. The beauty and reason of mathematics is something I hope to convey to my students as well as it has been conveyed in this class. I think you did a great job. And I already said this, but I’m sad to see this class go. I wish it was continuing next semester…

Ø I think this class was amazing. It did everything it was supposed to.

Ø This was my favorite class this semester, and maybe my favorite class I’ve had at UofM. Each class was interesting and fun, and the 50 minutes just flew by. I was happy to discover that I liked geometry and that I was actually good at it! I’m looking forward to teaching my own geometry class in few years.

Ø This class was very difficult but also very interesting. I think I’ve especially enjoyed the class while working on the final. The conjectures have been fun to prove J

Ø At one point this year I thought I wasn’t learning anything because I was so frustrated with the material. By the last month and especially the last week I realized in reality I learned more than I could have imagined – and I don’t need an A to prove that (which I originally thought). So yes, I think you definitely accomplished your goals! I think I love math, too. But algebra based a bit more than geometry. Thanks for a great year!

Ø Great job. You were quite a relief compared to other teachers I’ve had in the math department. You actually taught, and very well at that and I feel that you met your goals in more ways than one. Thanks for a great class.

Ø Emina, I think the final was perfect. I don’t mean that I did perfect, but that it was a perfect ending to our semester. I think this class was awesome. I did NOT come in here with a positive attitude about geometry, and I was not confident with the subject matter. Now, I feel I can easily teach it! I understand the core of geometry and proofs and can apply this to math in general. I also happily can say, I enjoy geometry. I’m not afraid of it, and actually, I kind of love it! I really enjoyed this class and feel like I will benefit from it greatly. I also really enjoyed your teaching techniques and feel like every one of your goals for us was definitely met, for me at least, without me realizing. Thanks for a great class!

Ø This was a great class and I learned a lot from it. It was tough at first, but once I got the hang of it and got practice, it was lot better.

Ø I thought this class did a good job of demonstrating how to think about geometry. I think that you did a great job demonstrating good teaching strategies, especially working in groups, and asking leading questions.

Ø Contrary to popular belief I never had a high school geometry class. Well sort of, in HS I had 5 (!) geometry teachers, 1 good one who left one month into the school year and 4 permanent subs. So to sit in this class and to finally learn is such a breath of fresh air. I have learned so much in this class. I have attended many math classes at UofM, and I have to say that the way you teach is what makes this class unique and special from the rest. Thank you for a great semester. Thank you for teaching my favorite class of the year. Who knew that one of my favorite classes would be the most difficult?

Ø I think that this class did help me appreciate math and all there is to it. I also think that your love and knowledge of teaching and math made this class interesting and fun to come to. Honestly, you’re one of the best teachers I’ve had at the University.

Ø I didn’t expect to like this class, but I ended up enjoying it and learning a ton. One thing: sometimes thing seemed to have stall in class. I don’t know how it could be helped, but it frustrated me.

Ø You did a wonderful job teaching this class. I was very surprised to hear that it was your first time. Even though the class didn’t focus on teaching I did learn a lot that I can apply to my future classroom. Thanks so much! J

Ø If nothing else there was plenty of experience questioning everything. The class was a nice break from applied partial differential equations.

Ø Although I had a rough time in this class I can say that I still have love for math and honestly as I began to understand the information I began to enjoy and love the struggle. I appreciate all of your help and patience. So because of you and the struggles that I had in this class I can say you have accomplished your ultimate goals. I definitely understand the importance of actually studying and knowing the reasoning and content behind mathematics.

Ø I liked how I learned how to prove and question better. I think that you did accomplish most of your goals.

Ø I really hated this course material. BUT that’s not your fault and I think you are an exceptional teacher. I have had many experiences with teachers who do not seem to care, and you definitely broke the mold. I appreciate that you took time to make sure we understood and chose assignments that would benefit us. Despite my personal frustration with this geometry, you definitely maintained the integrity of math and made this course everyone could be successful in. you should be proud of yourself J

Ø The class taught me how to think about math (although not as well as I would have liked). I don’t think you could do anything like this in high school. I am not sure how to transfer this. All this is not to say that the class wasn’t worth while as a math class, but I am not sure it was a teaching class.

Ø Telling students to reconsider their careers if they didn’t “love” your class is arrogant and judgmental. What a terrible way to end a good class!

Ø I’m not sure if I love geometry, but I do have a great respect for the subject. I know that I learned a great deal and my knowledge has increased. The class was hard, not because the subject wasn’t interesting, but because when I think of proofs I panic. Although I’m nowhere near proficient with my proofs, I’m better than I was. Thank you for this class, I learned a great deal about how to think logically.

Ø This semester I came in apprehensive about this class. I was not a huge fan of logic, and writing out every last detail for a proof because my mind a lot of times was able to think of the solution. This class showed me the importance of logically showing my thoughts out so people understand where/how I arrived at my conclusions. I increased my appreciation for geometry overall.

Ø This class was structured very differently than any other math class. At first it was intimidating and the group work little frustrating, but it kept the class new and interesting all the time. I thought you did a great job as your first time teaching geometry0 I just assumed you had done it many times before. I felt this was a very good class which really more than anything taught intuition and strategy along with concepts.

Ø Emina, your class was truly a challenge for me and taught me to really think critically. And for me, I feel as though I gained a lot of knowledge about geometry. Your class also taught me never to give up. Thank you.

Ø Thanks for a well organized class and for being so open to comments.