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By Elsie Poynter, Forum Staff Writer
Ms. Maynard didn’t always want to be a teacher. She originally went to school and got her master’s degree in physics with a minor in computer science, which she used to start her professional career as a software engineer at IBM. “I was not being fulfilled at that job,” she told The Franklin Forum in a September interview, “so I decided to start teaching.”
Ms. Maynard relocated to North Carolina to get her start in teaching. “Even though I was a science major, I had more credits to be a math teacher, so I just went on ahead and got my certificate in teaching math.” Since then, Ms. Maynard has taught Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Integrated Math, Statistics (which she did not enjoy very much), and even Physics at a community college.
Last year, she moved back to New Orleans and taught at a middle school in the East called Dolores T. Aaron Academy. Eventually, Ms. Maynard decided she wanted a change. “I needed to come out of middle school,” she said. So, that’s when she decided to apply for a job at Franklin.
Ms. Maynard currently teaches Algebra 1 and Geometry to 9th and 10th grade students, who seem to be enjoying her personality and her class. As a freshman in Ms. Maynard’s Algebra 1 class put it, “She’s a really nice person. She sometimes makes jokes in class, which is fun, and she shows me her knitting projects, which I think is cool. She’s very friendly and definitely has a sense of humor.”
Another student said, “Sometimes Ms. Maynard can be tough, but I think she’s probably just pushing us to do our best.”
This fondness seems to go both ways. When asked what she has enjoyed about Franklin in her time here so far, Ms. Maynard said, “I like the fact that the students are very considerate and appreciative of their teachers... [they] are eager to learn... which is amazing.” She continued, “All I really want is for my students to learn and get better, and whether that’s in math, in life, whatever.”
Additionally, Ms. Maynard says that she really appreciates the inclusivity at Franklin, and how “students are able to be and grow into whomever they would like to be.”
Her one piece of advice to students in her class — or even in other math classes — would be to do the homework as if it is graded on accuracy. “A lot of times, students think, 'Oh, I’m just gonna get a grade because I completed this, so let me just write anything down,’ and they’re not really interacting and engaging with the lessons like they should,” she said. “When they do their homework like it’s graded on accuracy, they will definitely have questions about what they misunderstand and what they think they know and they’re really not sure about. And then they can ask and we can develop from there.”
Outside of school, Ms. Maynard is a loving wife and a mother of three girls. “My girls are away, they’re grown,” she said, “so I really enjoy spending time with my husband. We like to do a lot of outdoor kind of things: kayaking, hiking… One thing students might find interesting that they don’t know is that I drive a motorcycle.”
Ms. Maynard also really likes to travel; she’s visited a lot of different places, “and there’s still a lot of places I still want to see,” she says.
However, home holds a special place in her heart. “New Orleans is my favorite place in the world. I grew up here, and I am just so excited to be back home. While North Carolina is pretty, there’s nothing like New Orleans.”
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