Developing good habits and problem-solving skills as a mathematical thinker had
become more important to me as a teacher after participating in professional
development offered by my school district and local university resulting in a middle level
mathematics master’s degree program that further impacted my beliefs. Based on my
professional development, where good mathematical habits and classroom
management were modeled, I found myself wanting to convey its importance to my
students. During one university course Professor Ken Gross of the Vermont
Mathematics Institute stated, “After you solve a math problem - that’s when your
thinking begins. What have you learned from solving a problem?” He pushed us to
think about the importance of thinking about our problem solving and solutions.
Achievement and assessments were also of high importance, as I witnessed more
testing being put into place in the educational field. In order to encourage growth that
positively affected student performance on assessments, I strived to align my teaching