A couple days ago, I received this e-mail from a student. It blows my mind to think that people read this blog and appreciate it. This is the first blog-related feedback that I’ve ever got from a student. I’ve posted this with permission of the author.
Good afternoon Professor Parker,
I thought it was quite ironic that you have been one of my favourite professors and thought I should share an anecdote. In my first year of university, I found myself completely lost in your MATA22 course, dropping and swearing to never take a course with you again. I was so frustrated that I wasn’t able to just understand concepts without studying by relying on my “intuition” (one of the biggest obstacles to learning for a student in my opinion), and in a classic case of misdirected frustration, laid the blame squarely at your feet rather than my own lack of an open mind.
As I continued with my undergraduate career, I developed some personal and mathematical maturity and found myself consistently going to one place for advice : your blog. Your enthusiasm for mathematics, regardless of whether it was occurring in the sin(x) button of a calculator or in a card magic trick, was utterly infectious and I found myself loving my math courses so much more. Your blog helped me rediscover a child-like joy in doing math that I hadn’t felt since middle school, and my trips to the local bookstore began to include more and more mathematics textbooks. It is my opinion that the most invaluable/difficult thing any teacher can impart upon a student is passion for the subject.
Now, having developed that maturity, I’m glad that I got to take another course with you with renewed perspective. It is impossible for a professor to teach in a way that is perfect for every student, as every student is unique, but the effort, intention and thought put into your teaching is now clear to see and appreciated. What felt like a lack of clarity in my first year MATA22, I can now see in MATB42 as a very intentional approach to encourage students to seek out their own answers and to speak to you about their conclusions. One of my favorite memories of this course has been studying in the Bladen wing with my friend trying to understand Dirichlet and Frejer Kernels in further depth, for no particular reason other than to satisfy our curiosity. After much confusion and brain-wracking on our part, my friend, upon having a breakthrough, abruptly proclaimed to the entire study hall : “I am the Frejer GOAT!” (receiving many stares in the process). It’s not often you get to feel that rush of discovery as an undergraduate.
All in all, it has been a pleasure taking MATB42 with you, and I definitely hope to see you again in future! While every professor I have encountered in the CMS department thus far has always shown utter professionalism and competence in their courses, you are definitely one of the rare few who truly impart a sense of passion for the subject as well. I wish you good luck and success in whatever you are doing, be it raising your family, research or even just getting through your reading lists, and I’ll definitely keep my eye on your blog to stay updated!
Published: Apr 18, 2025 @ 14:12.
Last Modified: Apr 18, 2025 @ 16:19.
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