Starting the Spring Semester (S26) with Conversation

Starting the Spring Semester with Conversation

The spring semester for MAT 1190 CO at New York City College of Technology (City Tech) began in an unusual way. Our first day of classes was held on Zoom due to a snowstorm. Rather than letting the format create distance, I made a conscious effort to turn that first meeting into an interactive space—one where students could talk, reflect, and begin to see each other as part of a learning community.

That first day already revealed how different this group is from last semester’s. As students introduced themselves, I learned that some love basketball, others work with children with special needs, some are majoring in hospitality or human services, and others are pursuing nursing. It is a uniquely diverse group, shaped by very different paths and motivations, all coming together in the same course.

A colleague later mentioned that this course can be challenging because many students do not arrive with the math background I am accustomed to seeing. That comment made me pause—not in disagreement, but in reflection. The course uses Math in Society, and one of the first topics we explore is voting theory. Almost immediately, I could tell the students were engaged. They were not just learning procedures; they were thinking about fairness, decision-making, and how systems affect people’s lives. There is a lot of group work, discussion, and interaction, and I make it clear from the beginning that they need to get to know one another and work as a team. I often tell them: never turn your back on your teammate.

On our second day of classes, our first meeting in person, something unexpected happened. As soon as class ended, six students followed me to my office. They wanted to keep working. We stood at the board, solved problems together, and worked through the new material until it started to make sense. There was no requirement for them to be there—just curiosity and a desire to understand. I started calling them the class “ambassadors.” Not because they are the strongest mathematically, but because of their attitude. Their engagement and openness toward learning has already begun to influence their peers and shape the culture of the classroom.

Later that same day, another moment quietly stayed with me. A student stopped by my office before class—not to work through problems, but to look for a new friend she had met in the course, and also to see me. As she was leaving, she told me she was genuinely looking forward to coming to campus—to seeing her friend and coming to class, and to seeing me as well. She shared this simply, almost in passing.

That comment touched me deeply. Sometimes we create spaces where connection happens without even realizing it. A classroom becomes more than a place to learn material—it becomes a reason for someone to show up, to feel connected, to feel seen. And when that happens, it reinforces what I believe deeply: teaching, especially in a course like this, is not just about math. It is about conversation, community, and the small moments that can quietly light someone’s path.