Steve Urban: Math • Arrowhead Union High School | Teen Ink

Steve Urban: Math • Arrowhead Union High School MAG

March 31, 2014
By kinseymorton22 SILVER, Hartland, Wisconsin
kinseymorton22 SILVER, Hartland, Wisconsin
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

To me, math is like the sound of a funeral march. This year, however, my perception of math changed.

Senior year I had the unfortunate task of retaking Advanced Algebra. I anticipated it being as dreadful as the previous year, but as soon as Mr. Urban began to speak, I felt I finally had a chance to succeed. Coming into class, I felt like a failure, but Mr. Urban never made me feel stupid for repeating the class. He understands that math is difficult and makes it his goal to change that.

He explains each lesson so clearly that I forget it’s a math class. Even during the most difficult lessons, he makes the class erupt in laughter. His jokes are quick and witty and encourage students not to stress too much. The way he teaches math, it is simple.

Mr. Urban never wastes time. He’ll jump straight to the easiest way to solve for x and will not stop reviewing it until he is satisfied we all understand. If a student raises his hand seven times, Mr. Urban will find seven different ways to explain the concept. His booming voice carries the information into your mind. Furthermore, Mr. Urban takes just one day to grade our exams; most teachers take weeks.

I believe Mr. Urban is worthy of this award because he understands the mind of a teenager. The several quizzes we receive each week are only two questions long. They test our knowledge from the previous day and get straight to the point. He also allows us to use our notes for quizzes and tests. This encourages good listening and note-taking, which are great life skills. Despite having notes, I find I don’t need to use them during a test because I feel so self-assured.

In Mr. Urban’s class, math becomes painless. His passion for it translates into the way his students think about math. He could teach babies simple calculus with his teaching style. Because I was repeating algebra, I knew there were certain concepts I found difficult. When Mr. Urban introduced them, I thought, That’s what I thought was so hard? Never in my 12 years of school did I think math would be my highest grade.

With his sense of humor and his relatable personality, Mr. Urban makes math enjoyable. I am nominating him not only because of his dedication to teaching, but because he was able to change math from a funeral march into a happy song.



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This article has 1 comment.


on Apr. 18 2014 at 12:41 am
TaylorWintry DIAMOND, Carrollton, Texas
72 articles 0 photos 860 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby." - Unknown

I really like what you've written. The first few sentences really hooked me, and I couldn't stop reading from there. Your piece was very professional, yet it was also inspired and hopeful, ironically. I'm glad you had such an amazing teacher; we honestly could use some more of those.