My grandparents practiced organic farming (before it was cool), plowed much of the land with a team of draft horses, and worked closely with their Amish neighbors. When I was in middle school I would spend several weeks every summer on my grandparent's farm, roaming the woods and hills on a horse named Tootsie Roll, in between helping with the milking and bottle feeding calves (my favorite).

Other than sounding idyllic my childhood equipped me uniquely for the math and science classroom. Agriculture and animal husbandry has its own challenges and therefore the technology and engineering is ever progressing and is quite awe-inspiring. Farmers are problem solvers! At a very young age, I helped my father build and repair structures, equipment, and machines. If something did not work quite right, my dad would customize an existing machine or tool or invent one. Most of his inventions worked perfectly, with a few comical failures that I will share with my students throughout the year in Physical science!

The pig farm and my grandparent's dairy grew crops to sustain the livestock and our family of six required a very large garden to sustain us for the entire year. Plants need specific nutrients from the soil and release others as waste products. This nutrient consumption and release profile varies per plant species. Pests are drawn to certain plants and repelled by others. The chemical composition in the soil, crop rotation, and planting patterns are all areas of agriculture science that can be translated and related to in the study of Earth, Life, and Physical science.

Veterinary science and animal husbandry was my absolute favorite as a child and still is today. Caring for animals is a constant responsibility on the farm. Ensuring that animals are safe, healthy, and thriving is demanding but rewarding. This love for animals, and the farm that sustains them, easily translates to a deep love and respect of nature as a whole. I was blessed to have been able to raise chicks, piglets, calves, ducklings, kittens (rabbit & cat), and foals. When I was in middle and high school I also assisted with more serious veterinary needs like, stalled births, wound care, illness, failure to thrive, and investigating unusual deaths (necropsies). The pig farm was innovative and high tech for its time, and therefore agriculture students from Michigan State University would tour the facility and learn from my dad! The large animal vet would also visit the pig farm about once a month, and I always found a way to tag along as the vet discussed concerns with my father and provided him with essential information and training.

My father has a high aptitude for mathematics and utilized it daily on the farm. I, however, do not have a natural ability to calculate numbers in “my head.” I struggled in math in school, I was shy, and I was the youngest in my class. I now know that developmentally I was just behind my classmates and therefore not ready to understand the abstract components of math at the same pace they were. I fell steadily behind and was quite demoralized, beginning to view myself as dumb. My only highlight regarding math was “Math Lab” in third grade. Once a week we went to this magical portable, and learned math with manipulatives and real world tools like tape measures and measuring cups! In the math lab, I could solve any problem that came my way! I promised myself in third grade that when I grew up I would be a Math Lab Teacher!

Unfortunately I forgot my desire to teach math, as I began to fail math year after year. When I entered 7th grade I was several levels below my peers in math and completely demoralized. Thankfully, two things happened, my brain had continued to develop (catch up) and I was able to work with abstract concepts, second, my new teacher recognized that I could learn, wanted to learn, and needed to learn! For two years this teacher went above and beyond to encourage and customize lessons for myself and others. When I entered high school I was no longer terrified of math and was actually able to test above level. I fell in love with Algebra when I recognized it as the language of my favorite subject, Chemistry! Algebra is a logic based system that can be accessed by learners of all types. Through high school I continued to develop the ability to learn math despite how it was instructed, while loving EVERY type of science class. Fast forward, many years, and you have a middle school math teacher that loves to TEACH math while doing it, and teach science while DOING it!

I am committed to helping each student become all that God has created them to be. Each child is created by God for a purpose, loved beyond measure, and precious beyond words. It is my passion and mission to build students up, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.

Being a teacher is a great honor, privilege, and responsibility. Having the opportunity to be a teacher at Hephatha is a great blessing. I look forward to getting to know each and everyone of my middle school students this year and partnering with all of the members of the Hephatha family.

In Christ,

Mrs. Fisher