Because it is Ada Lovelace day today, I wanted to talk about someone who not only inspired me, but also gently, subtly, profoundly shaped my direction in life. Such power is usually reserved for parents, teachers and police.
If they could, a fair number of my friends would jump at the chance to meet some of their old teachers again and say “sorry”. I certainly have a few of teachers that I owe an explanation, an apology or a thanks. I was especially lucky to have several star teachers (most people only seem to get one); those teachers that lift learning out of the everyday drudgery that is school and actually open your mind to the possibilities of education.
One of those teachers was Miss Keatch.
Miss Keatch taught mathematics because she loved mathematics.
Miss Keatch had memorized Pi to a ridiculous number of figures.
Miss Keatch gave out assignments for the year above you when you had finished the curriculum work.
Miss Keatch infected you with her own boundless enthusiasm for any and every aspect of mathematics.
While I was thinking about this post, I got in touch with a classmate from the good old days of Miss Keatch’s mathematics lessons. This classmate is the the person in your class who is not only very clever, but who works hard all the time, and always has neat handwriting, and always, ALWAYS hands in her homework. Every class seems to have a person like this, and I would dislike them if I did not admire them so much.
Me: Can you remember Miss Keatch, our maths teacher?
Classmate: Yes. I loved her. Best maths teacher ever.
Anyway, you get the idea. If it were not for Miss Keatch’s obvious passion for her subject, I am positive I wouldn’t have ended up with my awesome, fun, and technical job. She was, and probably still is, the best maths teacher ever.
