Mrs. Morgan
Teacher Biography
My name is Deb Morgan, and I am your child's math teacher on Team 8O this year.
I was born and raised here in York County. I grew up in Hanover where I attended South Western School District. In high school, I was very involved in school activities and sports. My favorite class was always math. I knew my 10th grade year of high school that I would be a math teacher. I credit my career decision to my 10th grade Algebra 2 teacher, Mrs. Meckley. Mrs. Meckley was the kind of teacher who taught us "why" things worked in mathematics rather than just "how to do it". Your child will learn very quickly that I am all about the "why" in mathematics. It's important to understand the theory behind what we do rather than just learning a bunch of algorithms.
I received my Bachelor’s Degree from Millersville University in Dec. 1993 after student teaching at Dallastown High School. My experience at Millersville was so enjoyable that I decided to continue my education at the same university and received my Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education in May 2000.
My first four and a half years of my career was spent teaching High School at Columbia Jr./Sr. High School. I decided that I wanted to also try middle school so I accepted a job at Ephrata Middle School in Lancaster County where I taught for a year and a half. After having the pleasure of teaching junior high students, I knew that being a junior high teacher was my calling. I had the pleasure of joining the Red Lion Area Junior High family in 1999.
My husband and I reside in Central York School District with our two boys who were born in 1997 and 2001. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and supporting my children in their sports. I'm also a member of Praise Community Church where I teach 4th and 5th graders during Sunday School. Directing the children's Christmas musical at Praise also keeps me very busy.
I feel that every child who walks into my classroom is "one of my kids". It is a privilege to teach and I can't imagine another career for me. I want my students to learn mathematics but more importantly, I want them to learn how to use their resources. During this year, your child will hear me say more than once, "You get out of your education what you put into it." I do have the expectation that work will be completed. I want your child to leave my room knowing that hard work pays off. Creating good habits in my students now will help them have more choices when they leave high school.
I still remember something Dr. Gene Segro said to me when I first starting teaching at Red Lion. He said that he always interacted with students the way he would want teachers interacting with his own child. I think of this often and hope that I am making him proud in the way I interact with my students. I want all of my students to enjoy learning in our classroom and to feel respected. I am always here to help your child. Please encourage your child to be his or her own advocate and seek help from me when it is needed. Help is offered constantly so please don't let them tell you otherwise. Learning how to advocate for themselves is something that I also want my students to learn before they enter high school.
I look forward to my year with your child and hope you will contact me with questions or concerns that you have throughout the year.
About Algebra 1A
Welcome to Algebra1A. Algebra 1A is the first part of our Algebra program. Students will take Algebra 1A this year and then move on to Algebra 1B next year. Students must do homework on a regular basis and study for tests and quizzes. This is a college prep course and students are expected to keep up with the material in order to be successful.
Materials that are recommended for Algebra 1A:
Covered Textbook (no cloth covers unless they are XLarge)
Binder (At least 2", if using for other subjects. You also need dividers, if using for other subjects as well.)
A pencil (no pens allowed on math work)
A spiral notebook (some students prefer the graph notebooks, but they are not required)
A red or bright pen to correct homework.
Students should also have a calculator handy to use at home or assignments will take a very long time. I recommend the TI30X11S but any scientific calculator will work. You can usually find them at Target or Walmart for a reasonable price. I do supply calculators for use in class.