Memorable Math Teachers

I was lucky enough to have had great math teachers throughout my school years but my most memorable math teacher would undoubtedly be my third grade elementary school teacher.  She was the first to instill in me a love for working with numbers and appreciation for the world of mathematics.  I remember her as being the first of my math teachers who did not simply teach straight from a textbook.  She would often come up with her own problems for us to solve which tried to incorporate other material we were learning in other subjects at the time.  She never relied on using just one method when showing us how to solve problems either, as she was usually able to illustrate several different ways to solve each question.  I can specifically recall a time when I struggled with division and simply could not understand the textbook instructions on how to divide.  My teacher drew a number of small shapes on a piece of paper and had me put them into groups of 2, 3, 4, etc., in order to demostrate how division worked.  For the longest time, picturing those shapes mentally and putting them into groups was the only way I was able to answer division questions.  It was of great help to me throughout my early school years.  Today, as a future math educator, I still think back to this teacher and feel that I cannot thank her enough for all the help and guidance she provided me in my early math years.