Mona Gatzweiler

‚Her seminars are the best I’ve ever had‘ ‚She creates an extremely valuing and productive learning environment‘ ‚Her explanations were always understandable and helpful‘

This is how students described Mona Gatzweilers seminars to us. They also often mentioned, how she was the first person to show them not just to understand mathematics but to be able to write and explain proofs cleanly.

In our interview, Mona Gatzweiler stressed her enjoyment of teaching and working with students. For her, it is of extreme importance, to always be on eye level with her students during seminars and create an environment without unneeded pressure. She wants to show students that anybody deserves a place in academic mathematics. Moreover, it is part of her teaching philosophy to view mathematics as a team sports, as it is easier to learn together, rather than on one’s own.

Many experiences and impressions from her own studies help her better understand student’s situation. She knows, for example, that there are meany reasons, why a students might fail an exam or be nervous to present in front of the class and always tries to find solutions, when possible. During her own studies, she says, it was very important to be part of a supportive learning community. She als mentioned that there was a very familial and kind atmosphere without much room for competition at her university in Göttingen.

She finds many things beautiful about mathematics itself - it is quite satisfying, when everything just clicks.