Q&A with Ms. Francesca Pizzigoni
How did you come to be a math teacher? Were you interested in math from a young age?
My love for teaching actually preceded my love for math. When it came time to pick a college major, I had a desire to teach in a high school setting and quickly realized that meant having to pick a specific subject. At the time, the only subject I seemed to have any strength at all in was math. Not that I understood it easily (or always), but let’s just say I was accepted into Advanced Placement Calculus, and that was the only AP class I took. Then, math changed in college. I attended Cabrini College (now Cabrini University) in Radnor, PA which required that I major in math, and pursue secondary education certification. The courses I experienced truly inspired me to delve deeper into the math world and what I found was absolute beauty and fascination. I’ve been known to say that “math gets so much cooler in college”. It changed what I thought I knew, and provided clarity through the analysis of seemingly complicated material. It turns out 1+1 is not always 2!
Did you have a math teacher who particularly inspired you?
Because my college was quite small, I had one particular professor who taught many of my math courses: Dr. John Brown. He was an incredible educator for many reasons but what I particularly remember about him is his passion for the subject and that he was always available to give help to his students on assignments, but NEVER just told us how to do a problem. He was adamant about having each student complete assignments with integrity. Dr. Brown was able to help us navigate through even the most impossible problems, albeit sometimes kicking and screaming. His tests were challenging, but fair and he ALWAYS believed we could succeed… even if our tests scores seemed to sometimes disagree! His suggestion and encouragement to pursue a graduate degree is really what prompted my pursuit. I completed a master’s degree in Pure and Applied Mathematics, while teaching for Montclair State. My math ability was pushed to its limit as I completed a thesis based in Cryptography, all the while confirming my love for teaching.
Some people are intimidated by math: We think we’re just bad at it and throw up our hands when we encounter it. Why do numbers scare some people, and how do you bridge the gap from fear to understanding for your students?
Most math fears come from a lack of understanding, combined with a “bad” experience that likely occurred many, many years ago. From there on out, if someone decides “math isn’t their thing”, it’s a downward hill from there. Because math tends to build, not understanding a small concept can have a ripple effect. Somewhere along the line, it also became popular to dislike math and my fellow math teachers and I have been trying to inspire students and push against that trend ever since! If students can discover the “why” or “how” part of math, it makes the “what” factor much more exciting. Bridging the gap for students may involve spending time to backtrack to where they first went off the tracks, in order to move forward with a strong foundation. Bridging the gap for students may mean showing them an alternate side, perhaps a more exciting, side of math. Students will learn more when they are enjoying themselves and there are many ways to make math FUN!
A lot of folks don’t have a lot of use for math unless they’re doing something transactional: calculating a tip, measuring for curtains, etc. Yet the classical liberal arts approach to education says that math is beautiful - something to be loved for its own sake. How would you convince those of us who tend to confine math to a calculator and measuring tape that it’s actually a subject worth getting to know?
How do we tell time, a seemingly infinite concept, using a finite set of numbers, say, on a clock? When will our car run out of gas- can I trust what modern cars say are the number of miles until empty, and how many more miles do I need to go anyway? If you appreciate the ability to use your phone, live in a home, drive a car, use a computer, etc., you should thank a math teacher! Computer programming, coding, architecture, engineering, business finance, statistics- these all have applications in the real world, in DAILY life, and could not exist without the foundational elements of mathematics. I know not everyone will LOVE mathematics but I do hope they learn to respect it.
Can you give a non-mathematician a brief understanding of who Euclid was and why he’s often referred to as the “father of geometry?”
Euclid was the first Greek mathematician to start formally defining key concepts of Geometry. How do you define a point, a line, etc.? Once these ideas were defined, they were pieces or tools that could be played with and used to discover figures. He truly laid the foundation for which Geometry was built. His volume of 13 different books, The Elements, is the second most rewritten book in history, with the first being the bible.
It has been noted that Abraham Lincoln took it upon himself to memorize the first five books of Euclid’s work, believing he could not become a proficient thinker or persuasive orator without it. How do you similarly prepare students to put what they learn in your class to good use across all disciplines?
We began the combined Geometry/Humanities class by discussing some of Euclid’s definitions. The conversations that take place are never just about math. More than anything, the students are being taught to think critically, and to analyze and question what they know. For example, we discussed whether or not a line can really be infinite. The definition of a line involves its ability to be measured or to have a length. If it’s measurable, how can it be infinite? And yet, in modern Geometry, we distinguish between a line, which goes on infinitely, and a line segment (finite length). The contradiction lies in the properties of a line. It brought up the known argument against the existence of God. Can God make a rock so heavy that he can’t lift it? If he can make it, and therefore not lift it, he’s not all powerful. If he cannot make it, then he’s not all powerful, so how does God exist? We concluded that the issue is not with God but with the fact that a rock is limited in what it can be. At some point, a rock “so heavy it can’t be lifted” is not actually a rock. So what does it mean to “be”? The students are learning to formulate an argument, on any topic. They are learning to think about what words really mean, and could they have different meanings? Is the meaning of a word dependent on the person using the word?
What goals do you have for yourself and your students this year?
I’d like to both challenge and inspire the students. I will teach them but also learn from them. We will pray together, and navigate through the experiences of a school year that will never be forgotten. I’m certainly of the “work hard, play hard” mentality so my goal is to certainly make them think and expand their brains but have fun along the way!