Author of Let’s Play Math, Denise Gaskins, once said, “Math is like ice cream, with more flavors than you can imagine – and if all your children ever do is textbook math, it’s like feeding them broccoli-flavored ice cream.” Just like ice cream has many different flavors, mathematics has many different concepts that can be delivered in varying ways. If I were to fill a classroom with thirty teenagers, all thirty would not agree on just one favorite ice cream flavor, and in the same way, not all thirty teenagers will like the same kind of instruction. For instance, when teaching the concepts associated with graphing, students could be given the slope-intercept formula, and the teacher could explain what each letter represents. However, if the teacher wanted students to understand “why” the formula is what it is, he or she could give the students different graphed lines and establish a rule for the input values that will always equal the specified output values. In other words, they would be discovering the slope-intercept formula. As a teacher, I believe that it is my job to help my students find their personal favorites and incorporate those in to each lesson I teach. Although some students might enjoy textbook math, others would rather take a hands-on approach. My goal every day will be to give each of my students a taste of what they love and a taste of something new. My lessons will include aspects of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and inquiry models of teaching. Students will debate, reflect, discover, take notes, and take tests. They will make connections, see math in the real world, and maybe say “aha!” Whether in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or calculus, no two days will be the same. In algebra, students will find out exactly how many hours they have to work to pay for the car they see every morning at the end of their streets. With the skills they learn in geometry, my students will be able to design their dream houses, and with their trigonometry skills, they can find out exactly how tall those houses will be. Students should never feel as if they are eating broccoli ice cream just because it is the only option. Each student should be given an ice cream buffet and the opportunity to taste-test any flavors he or she wants. Just because Johnny doesn’t like vanilla, doesn’t mean he won’t like chocolate, in the same way that because Susy doesn’t like copying notes doesn’t mean that she won’t like discovering relationships.