As a student in high school, my original aspiration in life was to be a doctor. So from the beginning of my freshman year, I concentrated on math and science for my core classes as well as my electives. I had an especially difficult time with geometry because I found it to be very abstract and I do not do very well when I am expected to memorize something and am not given a basic understanding of how you got to the point of that memorized formula. I made it through geometry, barely, by my standards. The following semester, I was expected to take honors trigonometry.
When I opened the text book, my heart sank. More rote memorization without explanations, but then in walked Mrs. Burlingame. She was a kind and patient teacher. She never became frustrated or aggravated, no matter how many times I said, "I don't get it". She took the time to sit down and explain to us what all those formulas meant and how they were derived. She felt it was important to understand the theory behind the formulas so that during an exam if you failed to remember the necessary formula you could derive it on your own. She explained every principle she could in layman's terms and gave a real life application in every way she could.
Mrs. Burlingame took an abstract subject and made it real for me. She explained everything with a smile,and made me feel like all of my questions were welcome. I felt comfortable in her class and looked forward to each new lesson with excitement and anticipation.
As I follow my new chosen path in education, I look back on my memorable teacher and hope that I can touch a life, or make a positive impact on a student as this teacher made in my life.
-- Veronica Paggeot, Florida Atlantic University