This month’s teacher spotlight is Jean Bosco Ntahontuye of Utah International Charter School. Jean is originally from Rwanda and spent 12 years in Zambia as a refugee before coming to the U.S. in 2010. While in high school, Jean tutored his fellow classmates in the refugee camp. He fondly recalls the thank-you notes from those students thanking him for his tutoring.
Jean was one of only two students to receive a full scholarship to attend the University of Zambia where he pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and French. Later he received his Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. Jean has gone on to write such titles as “How to Learn & Pass High School Mathematics” and “The Ultimate 200 ACT Mathematics Questions Solved”.
When asked what the most important thing about teaching math to kids is, Jean replied
“The most important thing to me is to inspire the young mind to become inquisitive as they discover patterns and relationship among variables. In math classes, often students start whining or complaining about a topic until they reach AHA moment after exploring the extent to which the new concept/knowledge relates to their lives or its applicability to real-life situations ”.
When he is not teaching, Jean and his wife love to play with their 3 kids and help them with their schoolwork.
What an inspiring story Jean! Thank you for sharing it with us! On behalf of us here at the Utah State Board of Education, we thank you for your outstanding contributions to mathematics education.