A Day in the Life of a Mentor...

You walk into a room with 20 students. An average sized class, but it feels as though students are everywhere. You look into their faces and you see everything from excitement to tiredness, boredom to restlessness. Every day you come in is a challenge. Questions run through your head. Will the students understand the lesson? Will they ask a lot of questions? Will they be interested at all? Will I be of any help to them? You stop in your tracks as you get the first question of the day "Are those grandma shoes (said in an "I know everything" teenage voice)?" After fumbling through a response, "Well, no, but they are extremely comfortable so I'm sure grandmother's would enjoy wearing them." It is thankfully time to start class.

The teacher begins to explain the lesson–"Today we are learning about adding and subtracting fractions!" Excellent! Fun with common denominators! You are hoping that the students have not forgotten their multiplication tables because you are excited to hear that during today's lesson the students will not be using calculators. Soon you are brought out of your excitement about working with fractions as you realize there is a group of students in the back not paying attention. You walk over and stand in the midst of the group. Several students grimace as they realize that you actually enjoy mathematics and have chosen to help out in this class.

The class is now semi-quiet and the teacher is going through examples on the board. One student is clearly lost but is not asking you for help. You offer and are given the buzz–off look. You persist and the student, even though they are annoyed with you, actually pulls their book open and looks at the problem the teacher is doing on the board. You offer an additional explanation and with some encouragement they actually do the problem. To your delight they get it right! Way to go! You feel elated and then see the student slump back in their seat figuring that they have done enough for one day, but you refuse to let them, so you encourage them again. This time they are unable to determine the common denominator as easily as the first time. You crouch down and talk it through with them. "If you aren't sure, you can always try different numbers. Does 2 go into both? OK, how about 4?"

It is now officially homework time. Your first thought is homework time?Did I get that in middle school? Then you realize it doesn't matter; you now have a chance to help the students complete the assignment. Hands begin to pop up and you get into the swing of answering questions. Some students are eager to impress, others just want the answer. You learn more about how to help each student with every hand that raises. You make a point to stop by the student that gave you the buzz–off look; they are working on the first bit of the assignment and struggling on the fourth question. You slow your step, make it known that you are there and sure enough the student looks up and with their eyes seeks you out to ask for help.

I have been mentoring for the last two years through a program set up by the Actuarial Foundation. I feel this program is a great way to connect the mathematical community of students, teachers and actuaries. My interactions with the students make me laugh (grandma shoes, it really did happen), connect me to the next generation of mathematic minds, and gives me a chance to share my excitement about mathematics with others.

Actuaries have an understanding of and excitement about mathematics that every student could benefit from. Therefore, I encourage every one of you to consider sharing your time, excitement and expertise with struggling students in your area. I can guarantee the job is not always easy, but, at the end of the day, the rewards far outweigh the challenges!

Elizabeth V.R. Burgener
Actuarial Student

For more information about The Actuarial Foundation's Youth Education programs and how you can get involved, visit the Foundation's Web site at: Actuarialfoundation.org.