About MRS. Leisure

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION - ROUGH DRAFT)

About Me

Born in Denmark, South Carolina, I lived next to my high school math teacher, Mrs. Donelan. Mrs. Donelan was a huge inspiration for me deciding to become a high school teacher. During high school I was a member of Mu Alpha Theta (a National High School Mathematics Honor Society), I participated in many sports: basketball, softball, and swimming. And in 1987 I graduated from Jefferson Davis Academy.

As for college, I was one of those students who did not know what she wanted to do. I began by attending Brevard College & received my Associate of Science Degree in Mathematics. When I left home for college my dad gave me this piece of advice, "Each year take atleast one course that you want to take, not one that is required for your degree. While at Brevard under dad's advice I took: Golf, Modern Dance, Meditation & Relaxation, Voice, Engineering Drawing, and others. During my first year, I also played on the Brevard Women's Basketball Team. Next I went to the University of South Carolina where I recieved my Bachelor of Science in Math/Computer Science. After six months of looking for a job and substitute teaching, I decided to return to college, I attended Winthrop University where I received my Master of Art in Secondary Math Education.

My husband, a retired navy chief, took our family to live and see much of the east coast of America. We began our marriage in Jacksonville, FL; next to Chicago, IL, then to Norfolk, Virginia; and, after his retirement, we moved here, Devens, MA.

Education Phylosophy

I believe that all students can learn math. Many students have had bad experiences with past teachers or a parent or role model has told them "You'll never be good at math." My goal is to overcome that ingrained belief and show kids that math can be fun and that they can do it! How do I do this... First I make math relevant to each student's daily life. Second, I spend one-on-one time with each student to let them know that he/she is important to me.

I also believe for students to learn math, I must understand how each student learns. Each student learns differently: some are visual learners, some are auditory learners, others are tactile learners, and others are kinesthetic learners. I must constantly be observing the students and adjusting my style of teaching to match their styles of learning. "Flipping My Class" has allowed me to spend a lot more time doing different activities involving different learning styles.

My overall goal is to hear a student say, "I can now do math!" or "I like math".