My Most Harrowing Math Moment
I remember it well. It happened in my first college semester. My Calculus I professor was Dr. Ahuja. Every class session began with several of us students going to the blackboard to post solutions of our homework problems from the night before.
On the infamous day, one of the students said he could not go to the board. When Dr. Ahuja asked why, he said he had forgotten to do his homework. What happened next defies adequate explanation. My mild mannered professor suddenly transformed into the Incredible Hulk.
Dr. Ahuja ran to the student's desk, leaned over him, and began interrogating. "Do you forget to breathe?" "No." "Do you forget to eat?" "No." "Do you forget to sleep?" "No." "Your Calculus homework comes just as regularly; never forget it, and if I leave at the end of class, and fail to give you your homework assignment, you are still responsible for it. Make sure you always know your assignment before you leave every day."
To say the class fell silent would be the understatement of the year. While we sat in frozen fear, Dr. Ahuja returned to his mild mannered self and continued teaching. I had never even anything like this. It made a deep impression on me. It taught me math is not a discipline you can lollygag your way through. It is a progressive discipline that requires vigilant, daily attention.
On the infamous day, one of the students said he could not go to the board. When Dr. Ahuja asked why, he said he had forgotten to do his homework. What happened next defies adequate explanation. My mild mannered professor suddenly transformed into the Incredible Hulk.
Dr. Ahuja ran to the student's desk, leaned over him, and began interrogating. "Do you forget to breathe?" "No." "Do you forget to eat?" "No." "Do you forget to sleep?" "No." "Your Calculus homework comes just as regularly; never forget it, and if I leave at the end of class, and fail to give you your homework assignment, you are still responsible for it. Make sure you always know your assignment before you leave every day."
To say the class fell silent would be the understatement of the year. While we sat in frozen fear, Dr. Ahuja returned to his mild mannered self and continued teaching. I had never even anything like this. It made a deep impression on me. It taught me math is not a discipline you can lollygag your way through. It is a progressive discipline that requires vigilant, daily attention.