Listen to part of a conversation between a student and her mathematics professor.

Listen to part of a conversation between a student and her mathematics professor.

P: So our department is launching a new program in the community this year. What we're basically doing is helping local schools host math nights for kids and their parents.S: Math night... like when kids and their parents get together at the school to play math-based games and do math-related activities. Right?Exactly.S: I used to go to those when I was younger.

P: And did they help demist the mathematics for you, make the discipline as a whole seem less intimidating?S: You know, I loved math nights, but actually, I was already one of those kids who didn't have a problem with math, which is why I ended up being a math major I guess. I think the more relevant question is, did my parents enjoy it, but they were good sports.P: Well, the reason I asked you to come by is to find out if you're interested in a job with the program. You had mentioned to me that you would like to improve your teaching skills. Well, this program would give you an opportunity to tutor math and at the same time support our goal to serve the community.S: Hmm, sounds intriguing, but wouldn't that be like helping the kids with the math puzzles? I mean, I used to love figuring those out, but…

P: Actually you'd be mostly explaining math concepts to the kids as well as their parents.S: Parents? P: Mathematics has changed so much in recent years that many parents complain about not being able to help their kids with their homework.

S: But what level of math are we talking about? P: Nothing higher than seventh grade, but you'd be surprised. There's some pretty sophisticated stuff going on, even in seventh grade these days. Kids are studying statistics, for example, and about probability learning how to create complex graphs.S: You mean that wasn't part of the curriculum when their parents went to school? P: No, in many cases it wasn't. And there will be more attendees than teachers there at math night. So we'll need as many people with math training as possible to help.

S: Okay, so what exactly would I be doing? P: Well, the teachers will take care of the group activities which are based on different math concepts. You'd be expected to review these concepts with the group you're assigned to and answer the students’ and parent’s questions that arise from the activities.S: I'm definitely interested. But how much time does this involve? P: You'd be guaranteed 20 hours of work per semester. It may turn out to be more hours, but you can count on 20 for sure.

S: So you want my answer by… P: Well, the sooner we can draw up a list of participating students, the better. But we're still a few months away from the actual launch. Our official start date is until February, so we're still ironing out some of the logistics, like how often math night should be held and whether or not it should be held at the university or at the schools themselves, things of that nature.