I was once again reading in the NYTimes an article entitled, To Earn Classroom Certification, More Teaching and Less Testing. Being a recipient of some of these new concepts, I too believe that there is great benefit in learning the “ins and outs” of teaching – actually handling a classroom.  Actually it is invaluable, for I’m sure we’ve all had many a professor, full of wonderful head knowledge and willing to share, but if you placed him (or her) in front of a 9^th grade class, chaos would ensue.  That classroom presence needs to be discovered and developed if one wants to become a teacher!

Still, this cannot be all there is! There also needs to be some depth, some insight into what is actually happening, or will be happening, when those kids hit the classroom. Theory isn’t all bad and thus shouldn’t be disregarded or diminished when pared with experience!

Alan Sadovnik and Susan Semel responded to that very piece in the NYTIMES commenting on the important need for theory – the whys. I am exceedingly blessed to be in a program where we are constantly asked, “Why do we teach mathematics?” Why indeed? More broadly I ask of you, why do we teach at all? This cannot be left unanswered for a student of education, but rather must be developed for a better understanding of the purpose of the teacher.

So you may ask, why teach mathematics? Other than the truth it implies and the facts it presents, mathematics provides reasoning skills, and important lessons that are necessary in daily interactions.

What are your beliefs about the importance of teaching mathematics?