Character Biopic-The Math Teacher 02/6/10

For those math-heads its hard to understand what makes them so math oriented....when one day I finally think I figured it out. Math is all about order, plug anything into a formula and an answer is provided. These math teacher elite crave order and pattern when there own lives offer so little.

Watching Mrs. Lehrter teach is fascinating. Brandishing her chalk as if it holds the secrets to the universe, she quickly scratches problem after problem on the board. Which is probably the reason she wears a perpetual cast for her athritis. So she moves as fast as she can about the room her mulitcolored shawls always blowing in the math breeze. Shouting problems and questions at us left and right, never faltering to wake up a snoozing kid. Math teaching suddenly becomes an Olympic Sport, well with as much activity as athritis will let her. The order of math excites her.

Her very life is devoted to math. One can only wonder however, what is the home life like of a teacher? Plus not only a teacher but a math teacher....the most awkward and hated of all. Well I take the guess that in fact the almost high power trip she receives from teaching was built on a life where she doesnt have much power. Several times she has made reference to her ex-marine husband with a temper...sure it may have been breif but it was enough times to make me wonder how much words does she ever get in edge wise? Probably little to none. So when she is given a classroom and chalk the authoritarian government ensues. Students are easy to control, a litte threat of an office stint here and there normally shuts up IB kids. When they shut-up or are forced to stand for a minute when caught snoozing, a smile comes breifly over her face. The victory and power of being in charge has definately gotten to her head. Its almost as if she likes yelling at students more than she likes even math. However it is good to keep in the mind the life she has lived under the temper of her strict husband. So the next time she asks a question and squints searching the room as if she can see our brains frying out of our heads....I will try to answer. Not even my semi pity for her can make me write a problem on the board though!