When people think of math team, they usually base their assumptions off of movies or shows that contain a small group of very intelligent people. Even I thought math team would be a group of people who are math geniuses. It is stated that “Another way self perception can become distorted is through our interpretation of what we see on television, in the movies, and in popular magazines” (The Perception Process 35). I assumed that I would be a labeled a “nerd” or “geek” because in television shows and movies, such as Mean Girls, people on the math team were called those names. I figured being on math team would make me a weird kid who studies nonstop, and I did not want that, so I did not join freshman year. I then realized that many of my friends were on the team who had other hobbies and did not solely focus on math and school. These friends told …show more content…
Jahnz affects the appearance and reality of the math team as well. All of the students love her and describe her using words like, “spectacular,” “passionate,” and “remarkable.” When I asked members of the team if they thought it would be as successful without her, 13 out of 14 said no. Clearly, she plays a huge role in the team and it would not be the same without her. In an interview, she explained that math team used to be a “nerdy” group and had about ten students. However, recently the team has had the maximum number of students involved, all with different interests. Mrs. Jahnz is a person who can make the appearance and reality of a group change. The article “Social Constructions of Reality” states, “Role performance is how a person expresses his or her role” (Presentation of Self). Clearly, Mrs. Jahnz expresses her role in a positive way, making many students hope to have her as a teacher or to be on the math team. By being a fun, devoted teacher, she is the reason people join, and she changes people’s perspectives and assumptions of the