Principia’s long-time mathematics teacher David Gibbs will retire at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year after many years of dedicated service to Principia College, the Principia School, and the greater community.
A Principia alum, Gibbs began teaching math at Principia College in the fall of 1962, and has left twice to do graduate work studies, each time for a three-year period. He has taught at Principia for a total of 41 years. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He did some of his undergraduate work at the University of California.
In his long career at Principia, Gibbs has taught every type of math, from very basic tutorials to advanced courses. He said that the faculty in the Math Department tend to teach a range of courses.
Gibbs said, “Different departments have different models, but in the Math Department everybody teaches everything. There is a wider range of things to teach.”
Gibbs said that he is grateful to have worked with his peers in the Math Department over the years. “It’s been a wonderful time interacting and relating to my colleagues, and I have a great deal of respect for my colleagues,” he said. “That’s what makes Principia unique – the people that are here really seem to look out for each other.”
Kathy Hooper, one of Gibbs’ colleagues in the Math Department, said he “is one of the kindest, most helpful, professional, and experienced colleagues I’ve ever worked with.”
Tom Fuller, another colleague of Gibbs for two decades, said that Gibbs “demands a lot of himself and a lot from others.” He added, “I’m a better mathematician because of him.”
Gibbs said his career at Principia has helped him grow spiritually. “As a Christian Scientist, you can approach things and other people with a spiritual attitude, and other people will approach you in the same way,” he said. “There’s a lot of spiritual growth that occurs in one’s life, and it is reflected partly in daily study.” He added that “it’s also about being able to see all sides of situations.”
Over the years, Gibbs has used a variety of teaching methods to help his students understand mathematical concepts, and to remove limitations on students.
“I don’t buy this left-brain, right-brain thing,” he said. “When people say they can do one subject, but say they can’t do math, I really don’t buy that.”
He frequently encourages students to spend time with him outside of class. “I start by convincing them that we’re dealing with concepts, and as I teach I reinforce the concepts,” he said. “I also tell them not to just memorize a formula, but what it means.”
He also said that math difficulties are “not innate in the student, but rather from the twelve years of preparation and it’s hard to change that.” He added that there is “a need for good math teachers today – it’s a shame they’re not preparing their students, and it’s an uphill battle.”
Gibbs said that he will continue to be active after retirement, including traveling and working on a research project with Watson Laboratories.
“I’m not stopping just because I’m not teaching anymore,” he said. “I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner, that there is learning going on and that includes me.”
He also said “a new chapter will open up in my life and things are going to be different. He added, “It’ll give me time to get involved with some things I want to do.”
