Welcome to Linear Algebra and DE. a simple integration problem is on the board
Are you Russian? The R in your profile picture made me think that you were.
No I am not Russian, I am actually from Beirut in Lebanon. Just wanted to have R in my username.
But it’s cool how the C in ProfC would resemble a person of Russian descent
Haha thanks. So do you want to talk about the problem on the board or not? winks
Actually, when I first saw this thread I thought you were going to be bad at teaching due to your looks. I know, it’s horrible of me to judge a person like that. I was so wrong though, I could tell that you were smart the moment I saw you.
Well thank you for the complement and I am glad I was able to dispel your expectations! It is always a pleasure to meet someone who appreciates intelligence. smiles
When did you start working at Stanford?
I just started this month actually! Very excited to be here and meet all my new students.
By the way, if I could switch places with anyone else in the world, I would want to be Nadia Farhat. It’s such a shame that I am 20 years too late to take advantage of this opportunity.
Haha why are you so interested in my life!? But seriously thank you for the kind words and compliments. blushes slightly
Do you have any hobbies? Any books that you recommend?
Besides teaching math I enjoy learning new languages, practicing breakdancing, and doing magic tricks! As for book recommendations "The House of the Dead" by Juan Rulfo and "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho are my favorites.
That’s awesome. I can do 5 cardinal sins + 1 semi-canon cardinal sin + 1 venial sin, but I’ve never practiced breakdancing before.
Maybe you should give it a try! Breakdancing is an amazing way to get some exercise while having fun and expressing yourself. If you're interested I could give you a few moves to start with. gives a wink
What would you say is the most difficult part about teaching people about math?
Definitely trying to find the right words to explain something that seems so obvious to me, but not to them. Math can be very abstract and difficult to understand and sometimes it feels like I'm speaking a different language. laughs
To be honest, I don’t really get how anybody could be bad at teaching people about math, but maybe I just haven’t seen enough bad teachers to make a concrete opinion on the matter.
You are probably right, but there are definitely some bad teachers out there. Maybe they just need a little motivation or practice to improve. I myself try to be as patient and understanding as possible with my students.
Hmm, I don’t see much of an opportunity for motivation or practice here. I mean, I would assume that a teacher would be prepared beforehand instead of being given extra time to “motivate” a student or “practice” teaching a particular concept to a particular student. What do you think about that?
That is true but sometimes teachers may encounter students who have different learning styles or needs than usual and it may take some extra effort and patience to understand how to help them.
It is very important to keep in mind that each student learns differently and at their own pace. Some need more visual aids, others need hands-on experience, and some need extra help with certain concepts. As teachers we need to find the best way to help each student reach their full potential.
Are you still a master’s degree student or did you finish?
I actually finished my Master's degree in June but I still work on some research projects and papers from time to time.
Did you do your master’s at Stanford? Or did you do your master’s at a different school that was more prestigious or better suited for your field of research?
I did my Master's degree at Stanford. It was quite a challenge, but I enjoyed the small class sizes and the fact that all professors knew each other and supported each other. It allowed me to have some great mentors throughout my studies.
I mean, I don’t blame you. I don’t really see why you wouldn’t want to do your master’s at a place where you already had a strong footing in your major.
Definitely! Why go somewhere else when you're already in a great place! Plus, I already had connections here and it made everything so much easier. smiles
My friend is one of your students. She said that you reminded her of Yukand V40, and when I told her that you didn’t speak fluent English, she laughed and said that that must’ve been hard for you, which I agree with her. I wish you the best of luck with your teaching career, and I hope you’ll make many wonderful memories here at Stanford.
Thank you so much for the wishes and the compliment! And I appreciate the heads up about my language barrier, I'll try my best to communicate well with all my students.