Реферат: People Essay Research Paper Evelyn Boyd GranvilleMay

In the early sixties there was a great demand for mathematicians

In the summer of 1967 I was faced with two major decisions. ESD was cutting its staff in Los Angeles due to a decline in government contracts; a new position was offered to me in Washington, D.C. Also, I was facing the break-up of my marriage. I decided to remain in Los Angeles, resign from IBM and proceed with a divorce. A third major decision was to seek a teaching position at a college or university instead of a research position in private industry. This turned out to be a good decision–one I have never regretted. An appointment as Assistant Professor of Mathematics at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), came in September 1967. After years of working “nine to five,” I enjoyed the flexibility of a college teaching schedule. My years of experience in industry were put to good use at CSULA; I was assigned to teach classes in computer programming and numerical analysis. Another course assigned toe was the required mathematics course for prospective elementary school teachers. The so-called “new math” had been incorporated into the elementary school curriculum and the course was designed to show students how abstract mathematical concepts can be used to give meaning to mathematics programs in the lower grades. Teaching this class led me to new field of interest– mathematics for grades K through 6–and to my participation in a special mathematics program launched by the State of California in Fall 1968. The project–known as the Miller Mathematics Improvement Program–provided a supplemental program in mathematics at selected elementary schools throughout the state. It grew out of a program called Project S.E.E.D., developed by Dr. William Johntz at the University of California at Berkeley. Teachers for the project were recruited from college faculties. I spent the academic year 1968-1969 teaching two hours a day at an elementary school in Los Angeles; I taught a second grade class and a fifth grade class. As I look back now I wonder how I was able to handle a full-time load at CSULA, an evening class at the University of Southern California and the elementary school classes. I was happy in my work and I felt that I was a good teacher; hence, the full schedule was not a burden to me.

My involvement with the teaching of the course for prospective elementary school teachers led to my association with Jason Frand to co-author a textbook for college courses comparable to the one taught at CSULA. We found an editor–Louis Leithold–and a publisher–Wadsworth Publishing Company. The first edition of the book appeared in 1975 and was adopted by over fifty colleges across the country. The success of the first edition led to a second edition published in 1978. By the time of the publication of the second edition, acceptance of the “new math” curriculum was waning and changes in the teaching of elementary school mathematics was being considered and adopted. The emphasis shifted in “basic mathematics” and our textbook was no longer appropriate for teacher education courses. I found the writing of a textbook to be very demanding and time- consuming. My co-author and I were very proud of the finished product, but neither of us was included to write another textbook. Instead, I turned my attention to gaining more knowledge in the area of computer science and computer languages.

The start of the year 1983 found me anticipating another major step in my life– retirement and a move from Los Angeles. In 1970 I married Edward V. Granville, a successful real estate broker and a long-time resident of Los Angeles. My husband was born and raised in East Texas and planned to return to the area when he retired from his business. I often accompanied him on visits to Texas and , after making several trips, I was convinced that a move to a rural setting in East Texas would be a welcome change from the Los Angeles metropolis. We found an ideal setting in a 16-acre parcel with a house and a four-acre lake new Tyler, Texas. After nearly seventeen years of teaching, I retired from CSULA in March 1984 and moved to Texas.

Retirement was short-lived. When a member of the Board of Education of the Van Independent School District learned of my experience in computer education, he urged me to join the faculty of the district for the 1984 fall term to teach a computer literacy class to eighth graders. Although I had no training for public school teaching, I assumed that my past teaching experience would suffice in the place of formal training in teacher education. I was given a full teaching load– three sections of the computer literacy class, a section of eighth grade mathematics and a beginning algebra class at the high school. It did not take long for me to discover that public school teaching is quite different from college teaching. I realized quickly that I was totally unprepared to manage the classes assigned to me. After several months the district administrators and I came to the conclusion that it would be wise for all concerned for me to relinquish my appointment. I left the job shortly before Thanksgiving; my tenure in the school district had lasted less than three months.

Shortly after I left the school district I received an invitation to join the faculty of Texas College, a small, predominantly Black four-year college in Tyler, Texas. In Fall 1984 the college had approved a program for a major in computer science and an opening existed for a teacher in this area. I joined the faculty of the college in January 1985 and taught there until May 1988. I welcomed the opportunity to teach in the new program because I knew I would be assigned to teach courses for which I had no formal training. Over the years I have learned that one of the best ways to become proficient in a subject is to teach the subject. The three and one- half years I spent at Texas College provided me with as much education in computer science as I brought to the students.

I decided to forego teaching during the academic year 1988-1989 in order to have the leisure time to travel in the United States. My plans for the future are not firm at this time, but I know that I want to be involved in the educational process in some way. The excellent education and training I was privileged to receive place upon me an obligation to improve educational opportunities for others. There are a number of avenues open for making a meaningful contribution–continue teaching at the college level, volunteer to participate in a tutorial program for students at the elementary or secondary level, join a volunteer group working to wipe out adult illiteracy in this country. I know now that retirement for me is a long way off.