I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mathematics Professor Evelyn Silvia. Evelyn was my advisor while I was working toward my Masters of Arts in Teaching degree at UC Davis. Looking back on my career path, there is probably nobody that influenced me to the degree that Evelyn did, and I am very grateful for all that she did.
Back in 1974, I was a math major at UC Berkeley, about to graduate and already admitted to Berkeley's graduate math program. At that point, Evelyn came to Berkeley and talked about the MAT program within UC Davis' Mathematics Department. What a shift that caused in my thinking and, ultimately my life path! When I was in the 4th grade, I had told my father that I would get a Ph.D. in math, and that been my goal right up through my years at Berkeley. I don't know whether it was the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for math with younger learners, the fellowship money UC Davis offered me, the chance to work with Evelyn, or a combination of all of those things, but all of my plans were shaken up that day in '74.
This is my 31st year in the classroom and I still thoroughly enjoy it. I know that my longevity is, in part, due to lessons learned from Evelyn, strategies that I saw her model so effectively whenever she was in front of a group of students. In addition to my work in the classroom, I lead seminars for mathematics teachers throughout the United States. Teachers in my audiences often comment that I seem to have received a different kind of training than most other teachers get. The Socratic questioning strategies, the ways of responding to students' answers (whether right or wrong), the use of varied modes of response, and so many more techniques that Evelyn shared have served me well throughout my career. When I model these for teachers, I am passing on what Evelyn so effectively modeled for me. She was a superb role model, and I benefited from both my observations of Evelyn and her constructive feedback when she observed me.
I have just accepted an Associate Professor position in the Mathematics Department at Southern Oregon University, one that will involve teaching and supervision of students intending to be teachers. I will strive to follow in Evelyn’s footsteps, taking much of what she taught me and passing it on to the next generation of math teachers. If I can positively impact a single student in as significant a way as Evelyn impacted me, I will consider it a tremendous success. Without a doubt, Evelyn’s impact on me was life-changing.
Irving Lubliner