• Designed HS Competitive Math Club (AMC 8-AIME level)

• Competitive mathematics at the AMC 8, 10, 12, and AIME level

• Wrote problems/content for the redesign of CTY's Competitive Math Courses

500? I’ll try

I believe it is crucial to recognize that with bright students, unlike with many others, I should avoid walking through a detailed explanation from point A to point B; bright minds can process the logic of the material faster than many think possible, often faster than it could be explained. Often, these students are missing only a small piece of the puzzle, and can solve the problem immediately once they have it. Thus, learning how to recognize the student’s thought process is key, so I can help them find the missing piece as quickly as possible.

To that end, during meetings with talented students, I try to learn as much as I can about how the students think: I make jokes with varying layers, use chains of logic with varying length, etc.. All the while, I discreetly but carefully observe their faces as they process information – how quickly do they understand? How does this vary by concept? At the same time, I try to build a connection with the student - a bond that helps the student feel at ease and behave naturally, more open to learning from me. I act naturally myself and try to have fun with the student: I make jokes (often at my own expense); I laugh; I ask questions to get to know my student, finding common ground to bond over and information I use to customize silly problems for them

Then, when teaching the student, I try to never assume they think about problems the same way I do. Instead, I let the student describe their natural approach to the problem, help them complete it their way, and show connections to other approaches. Often, a student’s approach is different from mine, and sometimes even more efficient and elegant. In these cases, I make a point to tell them so. I rarely see a student more excited or proud than when I let them know that they thought of a more clever way to solve a problem than I had.

Ensuring the student is always challenged is trivial in theory (though not necessarily easy). There is such an enormous amount to learn, and countless ways concepts connect with each other. Thus, to keep a student engaged, I could teach faster, relate the current concept to other ideas, or show real-world applications until the student is appropriately challenged. For example, a bright chemistry student learning heat can be shown that liquids exist on Earth’s surface only because of the weight of the atmosphere (there’s no water on Mars’s surface), a video of water boiling, melting and freezing at the same time (at its triple point), etc.

These students are often excited and proud to be taught material beyond what is covered in their class, especially when it helps them understand real world phenomena. Making these connections for the student also builds trust and respect for my instruction, sometimes creating a wonderful feedback loop of - curious question, tangential application, instruction, another curious question, etc.