The math department, headed by math teacher Michael Fenton, is one of the primary focuses of FC. As one of the core subjects, it is an important area for students to prepare for college.
According to Fenton, there are three major reasons for people to study and learn math. The first reason is that students should use math to exercise their brains.
“There are three major things that I do as a math teacher,” Fenton said. “One: teach kids to think. There is stuff you do in here {class} that you aren’t going to use unless you’re an engineer. It’s all relevant for everybody because their brains are getting stronger, though. They are essentially exercising a muscle; the more you exercise, the stronger it gets.”
The second reason Fenton thinks students should work with math is that it is easier to answer various questions about real world problems.
“The second thing is that you can answer relevant questions,” Fenton said. “Whether they are personal or professional questions, you can find answers that might not have been seen.”
The final reason for math studies is that students can comprehend more about nature and the way things work. Fenton believes that people can honor God through becoming knowledgeable about his creation.
“Thirdly, you can understand more about the world,” Fenton said. “Scientifically and mathematically, you see amazing things happening, and if you understand more math they can appear even more amazing, and that gives glory to God. If we use our brains to the best of our potential, that’s glorifying to God, and if you better understand his creation, that also gives honor to him.”
Junior Kyle Hudecek is pleased with the FC math department. He thinks that the Fenton’s improvements are helpful for the students.
“I think that math is a great subject, especially the way it is taught at this school,” Hudecek said. “The math department is very effective in its teaching. I feel that the new attempts to improve the class are helpful, since we are able to learn with our peers and also get some review.”
Fenton lists some of the everyday areas where mathematics and science are prevalent. He believes that many people are blind to these wonders.
“For example, there’s tons of math and science involved with something as simple a bumblebee flying through the air,” Fenton said. “Most people are blind to it, though. When somebody plays a trumpet, the sound coming out of it is a frequency, and we can graph that. We can talk about all the reasons that things do what they do. There’s all these things that people are either blind to or amazed by.”
Fenton believes that some of the math can be used immediately, but much of it will help later in life if they decide to pursue a course that involves math.
“I might have a real-world problem, and I can use math skills to get an answer,” Fenton said. “I am able to make a more informed decision in my life based on going through some calculations. Sometimes the students question the usefulness of the information they are learning. Some of the math may apply now, but some of it may apply later if they go into a field of work that requires it.”
Fenton decided to teach math because his two favorite areas in life are people and math. When he found FC, he knew that he wanted to teach there.
“For me, the teaching is even better than the math itself,” Fenton said. “I like both people and math, and teaching here combines the two together. I didn?t know I was specifically going to teach here until my interview at Fresno Christian; a few minutes into the interview, I knew I was going to teach here.”
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @tylerwl. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.
For more features, read the April 4 article, PC hosts community outreach over Spring Break.
