Who am I....?

The greater danger for most of is not in setting our aim too high and we miss it; but in setting our aim too low, and we reach it"

-Michelangelo

Greetings!! My name is Elliott Betrand. This is my first year at Wakefield High School, but my eighth year teaching mathematics. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but I was raised in Brooklyn, New York. I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Mathematics with a minor in Philosophy from Johnson C. Smith University, in Charlotte. Being the first member of my family to graduate from college is an honor.

My first love is MATHEMATICS!! I remember tutoring my peers in the stairwells of my middle school, and in high school classrooms after hours so that they would be able to graduate on time. Over the years, I have concluded that our students remember how to, but are afraid to retain. My success comes from repetition; the representation of the problem in various ways while utilizing the same strategy to solve it.

However, traveling is my second love. I have visited over twenty-one states and five countries, some more than once. My mother's side of the family is from Barbados, West Indies, where I visit often.

Some of my extra-curricular activities include:

• Google Educators Group (GEG)-North Carolina

• Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools, Curriculum Writter and Vetter (CMS Math 1)

• Kappa Alpha Psi. Fraternity, Incorporated - Alpha Epsilon Chapter

• Kappa Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society

• Former HS Track & Field, Head/Assistant Coach (Middle Distance, Horizontal Jumps)

• Former MS Track & Field, Head/Assistant Coach

I have received ongoing coaching and development in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) strategies, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies, ExC-ELL, and Personalized Learning. However, when I am not teaching, you will most likely find me shopping, bowling, on a roller coaster, or mentoring others.

I hope that Michelangelo reaches you, as he has inspired me.

It's a GREAT DAY to be a WOOOOOOLVERINE!!