The acts of teaching and caring go hand-in-hand. It has been my experience that the ability to teach is a direct result of caring and that to teach is to care. If I have been successful as a tutor and a teaching assistant, then it is because I genuinely care about my students. I was fortunate to have professors who had a profound impact on my life simply because I knew that they were concerned that I learn the material and succeed.

When I began tutoring seven years ago, I realized that I had a knack for it. I did not consider why it came naturally, I simply did it. However, it occurs to me now that I taught because I was concerned for the well-being of the students that I helped and I feel that they sensed this. At times my desire to assist others in learning mathematics compelled me to adjust my methods appropriately. The language of mathematics is complicated in that there exist many seemingly different ways of saying the same thing. When I force myself to become familiar with as many equivalent forms of expressing mathematical ideas, it is because of the importance of acknowledging that not everyone learns mathematics the same way.

During a recitation lecture, it is important for one to remain “in tune” with the reactions of the students. I know that I tend to learn more when I feel comfortable and relaxed. Simple alterations in one’s manner of speaking can make the difference between an authoritative tone and one that suggests collaboration and unity. Using “we” and “us” as opposed to “I”, “me”, or “you” lets the students know that the teacher is working along side of them as a teammate, instead of just telling them what to do. In general people feel more comfortable with someone that they are working with instead of someone they are working for. It also helps to constantly monitor the room for body language that suggests when students are confused. One should show concern by noticing these actions and addressing them. If time permits, discuss the idea further; otherwise, offer to assist in any way possible, whether it is during office hours or through e-mail correspondence. The basic idea is that if you care, then it will show in the way you conduct your lectures and the students will come to appreciate that.

Interaction with the class as a whole is certainly a significant part of teaching. However, each student is an individual with specific needs and abilities. This is why office hours play an important role in the learning process. Students should not feel intimidated by their teachers. They should feel welcome whenever they visit during office hours and not as if they are intruding. Of course, the image that one projects during lecture will determine whether or not students show up in the first place. By following the guidelines in the previous paragraph, students may feel less intimidated. Individual interactions are a wonderful way to learn of general difficulties that the students are having so that they can be addressed during future lectures.

The above statements represent the ideas of teaching through caring. A teacher’s job is not to expose weaknesses. On the contrary, it is to strengthen existing understanding and turn weaknesses into strengths. It may sound cliché, but “caring is key”. The most accurate analogy that I can draw is to consider the idea of “mother’s intuition”. When a mother truly cares for her child, then she is able to sense exactly what is right for the child, not because she has read numerous books on the subject, but simply because she cares.