“I expect to be disturbed by what I hear from you. I know we don’t have to agree with each other in order to think well together. There is no need for us to be joined at the head. We are joined by our human hearts.”

- Margaret Wheatley

“Mele!” one of my 9th graders screamed as he burst through my classroom door at 8:15am, “it works, it works!” It was my first month of teaching 9th grade Mysics (because Phath doesn’t sound quite as good) and we had just started learning about Electrostatics. I started off the year by eating a candle (string cheese) so we could talk about observations vs. inferences, we explored some weird static situations, and we theorized about how a Van de Graff generator uses static electricity. I briefly mentioned something called an electroscope and how it could measure static electricity. My student went home that night and made one out of some aluminum foil, a glass jar, and a paperclip. It was really cool and it worked. If I thought I was hooked to work in education before this moment, I knew then that I had come to the right school to grow in my perspective of how education is defined and how it can evolve. In that moment I was strongly impacted and influenced by the actions of my student. It took me back to the most impactful moment that I had as a student.

Deriving the kinematic equations in AP Physics using methods of Calculus was one of my highlights of high school. As in, all of high school. I doubt many people reflect on their time in high school and recall the feeling they had when it all worked out and they knew for certain that d=vot+0.5at^2. That was when I not only saw and felt how mathematics was at the root of everything around me but that I was already experiencing that world with a mathematical lens. I felt free to learn about myself as a human and continue growing as a lifelong learner. Everyone has that thing they are passionate about and I know mine is reaching others through mathematics and to show them how mathematics can be a tool to change and influence the world.

We Are All Learners

I am a philomath, so it was no surprise to me that my number one strength is Learner. I thrive off of learning from my colleagues and from my students and I believe that part of creating and cultivating a creative culture that is sustainable is leaning on and learning from one another. I hope to co-create a learning environment where students and teachers are encouraged to take risks and fail with support. I see this being important in my class as well as amongst our staff. Encouragement is key and is necessary from leadership in order for a community to feel like they need one another. Embracing the idea of failure in mathematics is tough. Maybe it’s because I had so many failures in college mathematics (and loved the field anyway) that I have an easier time embracing the idea that iterative failure is necessary. I wonder though at what point in a teacher’s career: hiring, training, their first five years, when they are a mentor, teacher leader, etc., is the moment to not only sustain and ensure their creativity exists but to cultivate it? I hope to cultivate both new and veteran colleagues’ passions in their field and in working with our students.

Reflection and Feedback

It’s a cycle. Genuine reflection requires feedback from others. The feedback then causes you to reflect. This back and forth is necessary for all those involved in educating children. Repeating this cycle is required. This was clear in the way my director guided and supported me in my first few years of teaching. I remember being frustrated because I was open to constructive feedback and wanted to improve. I knew I could do better. However, every time I asked him direct questions he would respond by asking the question back or instead he would ask a question that would cause me to reflect and examine my decisions, choices, and reasons behind whatever I was asking him about. I hated it and I complained about it. And yet, I was always ready to be critical of myself and analyze my teaching practice in detail. Why did I make that move? How would I do it next time? What were some immediate changes I could make that would have an impact tomorrow? Self-reflection is not natural for everyone and most teachers will need a guide, however, self-reflection is necessary to grow. Many new teachers don’t know when and how they need to get better.

My director believed in me and gave me the space to believe in myself. He sought my feedback often: about students, our community, teaching mathematics, and our staff culture. He allowed me to take risks in my teaching practice based on theory that would benefit student learning. My passion for mathematics flourished in the classroom and translated to my students because the fact that I was still learning was met with respect. And lastly, I learned to trust myself and my ability to revise and reassess my practice. These are what I believe are a part of who I am as an educator and as a leader.