Anja Handschin-Aschwanden Teacher, Kantonsschule Luzern

"During my mathematics studies at the ETH I already knew that I would like to become a teacher, and therefore I started attending courses and seminars in didactics in my third year there. At the same time I was able to gain initial experience as a teacher as a substitute in several schools at various levels. I wrote my diploma thesis on dynamical systems, which resulted in a paper with D. Stoffer and A. Schulze-Halberg.
I now work as a maths teacher at the Kantonsschule Luzern, which is the biggest grammar school in Switzerland. Every lesson is highly individual and depends among other things on the participation of the students and the atmosphere in the classroom. For me it is wonderful to work with young people. I like showing them how to convert an everyday problem into a math-ematical equation or to subdivide a difficult problem into smaller units. I normally teach the same class for several years, and it is fascinating for me to see the teenagers expand their knowledge, hone their skills, develop their attitudes and become more and more independent during this time."