Instructor: Po-Shen Loh

Key Topics

• Algebra
• Combinatorics
• Geometry
• Number Theory
• Probability

Summary

I joined this team at the very end of high school. I remember watching one of Po’s YouTube videos, where he shared a link to apply as a TA. Without thinking much of it—and despite my limited competition math experience—I decided to apply. This summary delves into my time at the Daily Challenge, exploring the philosophy behind the program and recounting the smaller details of my experience.

Philosophy

The entire philosophy of the Daily Challenge is to make real math education accessible. You might wonder: what is real math education? In K–12 schools, we often learn formulas without a clear understanding of how they are derived. The quintessential example is the quadratic formula. Students are typically told to memorize it and apply it mechanically. While this approach may be sufficient for engineering applications, it does little to foster critical thinking.

Competition math addresses this gap. These problems require reasoning and creative thinking rather than raw memorization. But how do you find qualified teachers for this more challenging form of math? The Daily Challenge’s solution is to recruit top-performing high school students to teach younger students. This approach is both cost-effective and resource-efficient. High schoolers are eager to gain teaching experience for college applications, and they are far less expensive to employ than professional educators. It’s a clever solution that has proven highly scalable.

Training

Training was one of the highlights of my experience. I joined a cohort of other TAs for the Daily Challenge’s infamous improv lessons. Imagine 30 TAs on a Zoom call with a professional improv company, loosening up and participating in exercises designed to improve spontaneity and adaptability. The purpose of these lessons was to prepare us for the dynamic challenges of live teaching, where unexpected scenarios often arise and must be handled smoothly. A bonus benefit? Meeting and bonding with other TAs in such a fun, lighthearted setting.

The next part of the training process involved live teaching on Zoom, which was far more challenging. Two obstacles stood out:

1. Mastering the tech: Teaching math via Zoom required using a stylus and trackpad, which initially felt unfamiliar to me. My poor hand-eye coordination often resulted in squiggly lines and illegible text. While I wouldn’t say I mastered this skill, my writing became significantly better by the end of my stint.

2. Engaging a younger audience: As a high school senior, teaching elementary and middle schoolers was a steep learning curve. Engagement was critical, and I struggled to make the material exciting for a younger audience. With help from my peer TAs, I learned effective strategies, like starting classes with fun drawings or asking random, non-math-related questions to spark conversation. For example, a question like, “Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?” would often generate lively debate in the chat and prime students to be more active participants in the lesson.

After passing training, I transitioned to teaching real classes. These were similar to the training sessions, except now the students were real, and the stakes felt higher. The biggest challenge was the timing—7 a.m. I had chosen this time slot voluntarily, but it was grueling to wake up early, especially during the tail end of high school, when most of my peers were enjoying senioritis. Despite my groggy morning self, I managed to bring energy to my classes, engaging 20 elementary schoolers before heading off to high school myself.

Reflection

As college approached, I had to cut my time with the program short. Still, it’s remarkable what the Daily Challenge has built, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. The experience helped me grow in ways I didn’t anticipate, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the incredible people involved during my brief stint.

Po-Shen Loh talk in Redmond 2022