AVOID BUTLER AT ALL COSTS. He is a good lecturer but his tests are simply impossible.

I took Math 61 with Professor Butler last quarter (Fall 08)--and I have to say, it was one of the best math classes I have ever taken at UCLA. Professor Butler is very organized in lectures, clearly knows the topic really well, and is really funny in lectures. Sure, sometimes the lectures could get a bit dry, but hey, it's math. If Professor Butler is teaching any of your required courses, I strongly recommend him as your top choice.

Steve is an excellent lecturer who really cares that we understand the material. He makes jokes to keep us awake and tries different techniques to increase our understanding. His midterm and final problems are interesting and challenging at the same time. I highly recommend taking him.

I haven't gotten my grade yet for this class but...
He's a very very very very nice, approachable professor who is TRULY concerned with being the best professor he can be. Every time I had a question, he was more than willing to answer and I was, for once, not afraid to go to office hours. Do the homework (I didn't and I suffered as a result of it) and make sure you go to lecture. He is a very good, organized lecturer who tries his best to make lecture/math enjoyable. The first midterm was HARDDDD I got a horrible score, but the second one was better. Just make sure you study, as math3B is not extremely simple.

I LOVED PROFESSOR BUTLER! He was COMPLETELY approachable, and I wasn't afraid to joke around with him. He is extremely helpful and patient in office hours. His lectures are extremely organized, and the good thing is that in the beginning of class, he has a "previously in math 3b section..." where he summarizes the main points from the last lecture (he does this about ten minutes before class begins, so if you want to copy it down, you better get there early). He makes jokes during lecture and is really funny, so math isn't that dreadful. I'd watch out for his tests though... they are DEFINITELY not a cake walk... Try to do his practice midterms/final. Those were definitely helpful. Just keep up with your work, do homework, and don't cram last minute.

I took both Math 180 and Math 61 with Professor Butler. He is the best Math teacher I have had at UCLA. Most of the Math classes he teaches (3B, 61 and 180) all have similar material, which he LOVES. The guy honestly loves his math. He does a wonderful job of using fun/quirky examples in class and his class is always uplifting. He does a great job of preparing materials for students to study from. Use the lecture notes that he posts online. His classes were challenging, but he makes it easy to follow, because he is so patient with students and is willing to explain something 100 different ways until his students get it. He always had very convenient office hours(and lots of them) and he's extremely helpful. His homeworks(especially the ones he makes himself) can be hard, but go to office hours and it will help a ton. I wish I could take more math classes with him, but sadly, I think it's over. Honestly though, I chose to take 180, because he was such a good professor. I would highly recommend this professor for any level of class.

I had somewhat of a bad experience with Professor Butler from the start of the quarter for personal reasons, but putting that aside, I think that he was a decent professor. He definitely loved teaching the material and made it easy to stay awake in his 8 am lecture! He was always very available in office hours and such, but I felt that he kind of looked down upon me when asking him certain questions - as if what I was asking was a ridiculous question. Butler is definitely very knowledgeable and you can tell that he loves teaching - just make sure that you don't get on his bad side.

I had Butler for 32A.

Butler is the best math professor I have had at UCLA. He's funny, he cares about his students, and he even makes study guides for the class. A lot of people have said his tests are hard, but if you study and go to class every day they're completely do-able.

Overall a good teacher, he enjoys mathematics and puts full effort behind his teaching abilities. The lectures were amusing, and taught the material well. However, his tests are IMPOSSIBLE. He gets a sick pleasure out of making the test extremely hard, he does not grade on if you can do the material, but whether or not you have mastered it which is essentially impossible with the quarter system. The average for our first midterm was a 50%, and the second was around 30%. He is helpful and supplies 1-2 practice tests before each exam, but the problems are nothing close to the difficulty of problems he puts on tests.

If his tests followed his lectures and homework problems more I would recommend him

I don't care what other people have said: I LOVED Prof. Butler! His lectures were soooo entertaining! He's really friendly and funny and he honestly cares about his students. He was also very organized, and his lectures were available online!! Yes, the tests were hard, but he gives generous curving in the end. Also, he adjusted the final, making it a lot easier because the average on Midterm 2 was so low. Plus, he gives multiple practice tests, review sheets, held a review session, AND provided an equations sheet for the final. If you want to learn a lot from a professor who really cares, take this class!