Campus News

Former Infantry Paratrooper and Education Alum Found his Passion at UK

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Growing up hating math, Jonathan Thomas (middle) enlisted with the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry paratrooper.
Thomas now works with students and aspiring teachers to help them see math in a different way.
Jonathan Thomas, Photo provided.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 11, 2019)  Has a math problem ever made you want to run and hide? For Jonathan Thomas, this was a common occurrence during his childhood. Today, he is an associate professor of mathematics education and chair of the Department of STEM Education in the University of Kentucky College of Education.

“As a child, I hid in the coat closet of my fifth-grade classroom to avoid math lessons,” Thomas said. “So much of math seemed to be about following specific rules, keeping track of which numbers you flipped, which stayed the same, and I never could keep it all straight in my mind.” 

Two things changed Thomas’ mind about math. He joined the military and developed a goal-setting and perseverance mindset. Later, a college professor opened his mind to mathematics. This is something he hopes to do for his own students.

“I could walk the streets of Lexington and ask people over the age of 30 years how they feel about math, and I am tremendously confident that a vast majority would have negative comments,” Thomas said. “That is a huge tragedy, and that’s why I work with others to design new approaches for teaching and learning math. I am convinced there is a ‘math person’ inside of everyone and my job as an educator is to help people unlock that potential.”

Thomas struggled with math all the way through high school — barely graduating because he was failing math. Instead of going to college, he decided to take another path and enlisted in the military.

“My father and brother had both served in the U.S. Army, and I knew it was a place to grow up a bit, see the world, and develop some valuable skills. Underneath that, though, I figured that, as a soldier, I might be able to continue avoiding math and school more generally. So, I enlisted with the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry paratrooper. Life as a solider was exciting and challenging. I developed a strong work-ethic and some great friendships, but when I reached the end of my enlistment, my math skills were almost non-existent,” Thomas said. 

After his enlistment, Thomas found himself at UK on the G.I. Bill and Army College Fund — where he would once again have to face a math class. However, what he found was a math he wasn’t familiar with.

“With each class, I learned more about how math provides a new lens through which to view the world, and I absolutely fell in love,” Thomas said. “My professor spoke of seeing math in the world around us. Whether it’s the geometric patterns of a beautiful stained-glass window in a cathedral, or quantifying the spiral shape of a snail’s shell, I began to see math with a new set of eyes.” 

Thomas took another math class and then another until math became his passion. He credits UK for his newfound love for math.

“My fist math course, a remedial college algebra course, was taught by an extraordinarily thoughtful and patient professor,” Thomas said. “We spent a lot of time connecting math processes to real world phenomena and thinking about how ideas can be represented or modeled in some way.”

Thomas now works with students and aspiring teachers to help them see math in a different way. Thomas says the way he teaches math is much different than the math he experienced as a child. He focuses on the "how’s" and "why’s" rather than the rules and procedures.

“I like to think of the teaching method like an iceberg. The rules and procedures are at the top. They are the part of the iceberg that is above the water — but below the surface is the deep conceptual understanding that is absolutely necessary,” Thomas said.

For more information about STEM education at the UK College of Education, visit education.uky.edu/stem.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

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