Introduction - Assignment 1A

My name is Jeremy Alvarez. I am 31 years old and I currently reside in San Diego, CA. I received my undergraduate degree from New York University and I currently work as a school clerical assistant at San Diego Unified School District. I chose education as a profession because I feel that it is a career that allows me to use my talents to make a meaningful contribution in the lives of others. I enjoy being creative and I find it very rewarding to see students progress beyond what they believe is possible. The personality test determined that I am a ISTJ personality. This suggests that I am mostly introverted and prefer tried and true step-by-step approached over a new unproven method. This is true to an extent. However, I often find myself thinking “What if there is a better way?” and I am open to suggestions that align with my ideas and reasoning. Math is a good field for me because it is very much about procedures and established methodology. I enjoy reasoning from A → B → C. I have found that logic and reasoning in math are absolute in that there are not exceptions to the rules. In math, if there is a single exception to a proof, then it is not a valid proof. The fundamental principles of math have been established and held true over centuries. I am open however to new pedagogical approaches that involve technology and student centered activities rather than traditional lecture, drill, test approach that has been pervasice in math since before my education began. My personality affects my relationships in that people often perceive me as being cold or uncaring. It is not the case that I don't care about the feelings of others, but rather that I do not express those feelings openly and I do not let those emotions affect my decisions. I am very much a “just the facts” type of person. I have found that this affects tother people's perceptions about me. I would descrive my relationships with students as warm, but seemingly detached. I say seemingly because I am actually very invested in the success of my students and wish to see all of them do well. It affects me when I meet students who have a difficult home or personal life.