Kimberly Nguyen: How I Became A Maths Teacher

Wondering what to do with your passion for Maths after High School? In this article, Matrix Maths guru Kimberly shares how she became a Maths Teacher.

Who is Kimberly Nguyen?

I am Kimberley Nguyen, and I have been a Mathematics teacher at Matrix Education for 6 months. I have always loved teaching and helping those around me, so I decided to join the passionate Matrix teaching community where teaching here is fun and flexible. The management is very organised, and you always feel supported in the classes you are teaching.

I studied a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Mathematics at ACU. Being someone who is passionate about teaching and believes in lifelong learning, I am always spending my free time learning things such as foreign languages, and even memorising the digits of pi (46!). I apply the methods that I find effective to help my students learn Mathematics in the classroom in a more interesting and easy way.

What were the top 3 things you loved most about your degree?

1. Being surrounded by people, including lecturers and students, who share the same interests in Mathematics, and teaching the younger generation was very motivating and inspiring.

The lecturers were great, and you could tell that they cared about their students.

2. The Education units in my degree were very specific and useful in learning how to effectively teach students, and there were units specifically catered around how to teach Mathematics.

3. You can specialise in two subjects (one major and one minor) at ACU, meaning that you can be qualified to teach at least two subjects at school.

What were the things you liked least about your degree?

1. For my education degree, you are required to complete 4 practicum experiences where I went to a school as a student teacher. Whilst the experience was useful, it was often over long periods of time (up to three months) where I needed to take time off to complete my practicum and I couldn’t get paid.

2. The selection of the minor subjects at the university was not very extensive.

How did you know what you wanted to study?

Ever since I was young, I always found it fun to teach my younger cousins the things that I was learning in school, so naturally, my interest in becoming a teacher started at an early age. I was fortunate enough to have a good experience in school and tutoring. The teachers that I had inspired me through their passion and genuine care for me. I wanted to become the same positive inspiration for the younger generation.

What was it like to study at Australian Catholic University? How did you know you wanted to go to Australian Catholic University?

I knew I wanted to go to university for a teaching degree, so deciding which university would be best suited for my needs was my top priority.

I had many discussions with the teachers at my school and many of them gave me the advice to go to ACU because they have a strong Education department.

Paired with this, the campus was more convenient for me to get to than other universities in Sydney. I was able to save a lot of time and money by reducing my public transport usage while I was there.

ACU is known for its smaller community. Having a small community at university was nice because it allowed the cohort to be closer, and it was easier to make friends as you would see the same people at each lecture and tutorial. I personally found this to be very comfortable, and it made my experience at the university a positive one.

How did you land a job afterwards?

I had many opportunities presented to me after I finished my longer practicum experiences. It is very important and useful to make good impressions and connections with the staff members and mentors in your practicum schools.

Having these connections with these schools can help you get job offers if they have availability.

Are you where you thought you’d be when you were deciding which degree to study?

Throughout high school and University, I always thought I was going to be a school teacher as soon as I finished my degree. However, when the graduation season came around, I realised I was fortunate enough to have a variety of career paths that I could choose from.

After careful consideration, I decided that keeping my finance role whilst teaching at Matrix on evenings and weekends was the best option for me. I am glad that I made this decision because I am really enjoying having the diverse work environments of my office job and at Matrix.