Awesome Math Girls

Mihika Bansal

This past summer, I had the opportunity to teach math to seventh graders through a month-long internship. The students came from under-resourced, low-income, and first-generation families, where they could not get help from tutors or educated parents if they didn’t understand a concept. 

Students were exposed to ratios, proportions, time, and other math skills used in everyday life. The concepts opened up new ways of thinking that the students could carry with them for the rest of their lives. For example, being able to read the clock accurately or solve a problem on ratios gave them confidence that math is a subject they can love, not run away from. 

One of the best parts of the experience was watching the students’ attitudes toward math evolve over the four weeks. I remember walking in the classroom on the first day, seeing half of the class with heads on their desks, and a few of them talking amongst themselves on how they would “fail the class from being bad at math.” After a few weeks, those same students ran into the room excited for groupwork activities, projects, and games, where they could solve problems with pride and confidence in themselves. Even the smallest of achievements, like correctly solving a ratio on the board or explaining a solution to a peer, created moments of excitement in the classroom.

I received valuable skills too, like patience when I explained the concepts in different ways until it clicked with each and every student. It taught me how important encouragement is, especially when students may not always have access to consistent resources or support.

By the end of the internship, I could see how much the students had grown. They were more confident, willing to try problems on their own, and genuinely interested in learning something new. Watching them improve and gain confidence made the experience so rewarding. It reminded me that teaching isn’t just about passing down knowledge, but more about helping people believe in themselves and their abilities.

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