Student Spotlight: Overcoming Mathematical Fear
Alison Colucci, an elementary education major, expressed a deep dislike for math prior to arriving at Montclair
Posted in: Student Experiences, Students and Alumni
I have hated math my entire life and always thought I just didn’t have the “mind for math.” I was told this by some teachers (in not so many words) and always felt very self-conscious about doing math in any capacity. Coming to MSU, and beginning math again was terrifying
Fortunately, Alison has had a transformative experience at MSU. In MTHM 201, Alison stated that “I had a fantastic professor for 201, Frank Forte. The willingness to break down the math into steps for us was so crucial for me.” Then she took the MTHM 302 course with Dr. DiNapoli who she described as “one of the best Professors at MSU for math” and began to see the joy in problem solving, by “wondering the answer” and being “excited to sort it out myself.” Ultimately, Alison said she feels “motivated to learn the math” and perhaps more importantly, she “feels comfortable teaching math in my future because of my experiences with these professors.”