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This paper analyzes 16 preservice secondary mathematics education majors' mathematical autobiographies. Participants wrote about their previous experiences with mathematics. All participants discussed why they wanted to become mathematics teachers with the key factors being past experience with mathematics teachers, previous success in mathematics classes, and the intrinsic rewards associated with helping others with mathematics problems.

Reform in secondary mathematics education has created changes regarding how to educate teachers. It is time to check the result of such changes. This study provides a snapshot look at the commonalities of ten pre-service teachers in regards to their mathematics knowledge and their attitudes about mathematics and mathematics education. Four themes emerged. The pre-service secondary mathematics teacher enjoys and has knowledge of secondary mathematics; does not enjoy nor have a deep understanding of undergraduate mathematics; is drawn to teaching and not overly drawn to mathematics; and has a medium-level of commitment to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (Contains 2 tables.)

State and national initiatives attempt to increase the quantity and quality of secondary mathematics and science teachers. Research suggests that if one could appeal to something inside of people or about the process of teaching and learning itself, then one might draw current mathematics and science graduate students into secondary teaching. This study placed eight mathematics and science graduate students in secondary schools for ten hours a week. Pre- and post-measures of their interest level in becoming secondary teachers were made. Overall, graduate students decreased in their desire to become secondary teachers. The main reasons were (1) fellows wanted to work with higher-level mathematics and science; (2) fellows felt students were not behaved and unmotivated; (3) fellows did not view being a teacher as a career, but only as a job; and (4) fellows felt school systems had to do too many things that fellows did not want to do.

Essentially a focus group to discuss textbook related issues, a meeting of calculus instructors from a wide variety of environments was convened and sponsored by McGraw Hill to provide feedback on the current state of the calculus classroom. This paper provides a description of the group's discussions.

The author reflects on the characteristics of the new generation mathematics student. She believes that pedagogical problems could arise if mathematics professors assume that the students they are teaching possess intelligence equal to them. According to her, a variety of information related to the generation gap may help mathematics teachers understand their students.