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| My family in front of our house (2015) |
Hello! My name is Melissa Knoch, I
was born and raised in the frozen white north (A.K.A Anchorage, Alaska). I have
two younger brothers, who like me, enjoy snow and everything cold. Peter
is on the left and Jake is on the right, although it doesn't look it anymore
Jake is the baby of the family. My brothers and I grew up in the same
neighborhood as my mom and attended the same elementary school as her and all
her siblings (although many years later). My grandparents lived right next door
to us for many years. I still remember grandpa sneaking over with a
pan of fudge to hide from grandma. I was home schooled for three
years during middle and high school and finally graduated from West
Anchorage High School in 2013. From there I made my first major move to Idaho
for college. I am currently a sophomore at Northwest Nazarene University,
majoring in Secondary Education Mathematics.
Have you ever considered solving random time travel problems in your uncle’s old physics textbooks a hobby? Or perhaps fencing your younger brothers? Well I do!! Along with these quirky hobbies I also love to learn math and solve puzzles. I like to think of math as a one big puzzle. As you progress through the years you are constantly solving that puzzle, and receiving new insights and pieces to continue expanding it. Math provides one of the most rewarding challenges, that once mastered opens up new wonders. Along with being magnificent puzzle solvers, mathematicians are among some of the most creative and slightly awkward people in the world. A great quote I like about math teachers goes "An introverted math teacher will stare at his feet while he teaches you and an extroverted math teacher will stare at your feet while he teaches." -Anonymous
I often get asked why I chose to be a high school math teacher. Many of
those same people tell me I'm incredibly brave and insane. As a middle schooler
going into high school, I hated math. It was challenging and I really saw no
use for algebra. Then I met Mr. Seeman, Mr. Olson, and many others. They
showed a passion that none of my other teachers had portrayed. These teachers
taught me to love math and I never looked back. However, as I progressed
through high school, I noticed that many of my peers had never experienced a
teacher that made math intriguing. If I could understand math I felt sure
anyone could, if they had the right teacher. Thus as I entered my senior year I
declared a Math Ed major at NNU. To this day I have not regretted
my decision, and I hope that in the near future I can become that
teacher that inspires students, like myself, to love the puzzles and embrace
the language of math.
