Protractors

April 18th, 2016 

I've always hated protractors. They're some of the most confusing pieces of plastic I've ever had to use. I mean, just look at all those numbers and lines. 

When I was in the fourth grade, my teacher thought it would be a good idea to familiarize us students with protractors and teach us how to use them early. I remember struggling more than the other students to line up the protractor correctly to the angle I wanted to measure; somehow, I always ended up being at least twenty degrees off. I was convinced I would never successfully learn how to measure angles using a protractor, and I was content with telling myself I would never really use them in high school or college. 

When I was in ninth grade, my geometry teacher, Mrs. Coleman, dedicated an entire week of class to teaching us how to correctly use a protractor. During this time, she used a giant protractor to demonstrate the correct technique to use. Each of the students were required to go up to the board and use her giant protractor until he or she correctly measured an angle. I went up to the board and couldn't seem to measure the angle she had drawn correctly. Finally, I got frustrated and asked, "Mrs. Coleman, can I please sit down?" Mrs. Coleman replied, "Haley, you're overthinking it. Just relax. Remember to line up the bottom of the protractor with the side of the angle you're measuring. You can do it." I took a deep breath and remembered how I had been taught to use a protractor, and I measured the angle correctly. It was an oddly exhilarating moment, finding the right value of that angle. 

Since that day in the ninth grade, I've enjoyed using my protractor. Although I sometimes have to take a moment to remember how to line up the protractor to the angle, I no longer panic at the thought of that little piece of plastic. I'm currently taking a math class for education majors called Investigating Geometry, Probability, and Statistics, and I actually look forward to the times we have to measure angles! 

In the classroom I'm doing my Service Learning for, the students are learning how to use protractors. I was walking around today and I could see the same panic I once felt on the faces of many of the students. I sat down with as many struggling kids as I could to help them understand that protractors aren't intimidating or scary; they're actually pretty simple and kind of fun. I can't wait to teach my own students how to measure angles. 

If you're struggling with using a protractor, this  website may be helpful to you.