BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Born and raised here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I graduated from Sandia High School back in May of 2015. By then, I had known for several years that teaching was my calling and that my passion lies in mathematics. At that point, however, I had also discovered my love for history and literature. Throughout the past few years, my interests in history have become more specific; the history of western civilization was my initial area of interest in the realm of history. Then, I came to love American history and military history, both of which are topics that have led me to become fascinated with the history of the American West - the story of the frontier - a field that began with Frederick Jackson Turner's 1893 essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History". Turner revolutionized the study of American history with his frontier thesis, arguing that the American character was, in large part, forged by the settling of the West. Now, my chief interests lie in the history of the American frontier and American presidential history. I am also a bibliophile, a book collector, slowly amassing a collection of presidential biographies with great pride. Two of my most prized sets include James Parton's three-volume biography of Andrew Jackson, published on the eve of the Civil War (I actually own the 1861 edition, undoubtedly touched by those who lived to see the Civil War!) and Henry Randall's three-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson (the 1858 edition with the original binding). My favorite author is Marquis James, who wrote a two-volume biography of Andrew Jackson in the 1930s and a biography of Sam Houston in the 1920s; Marquis James's works are all masterpieces that not only serve as the works of a historian but as unrivaled pieces of literature. Every home should have a library. Currently, my spare time is spent with my loved ones, including my adorable dog Lucky, and writing a biography of President Andrew Jackson, entitled Tough as Hickory. Jackson was not only one of the most dynamic presidents in our nation's history (though controversial) but rose to power as the first president who served as a voice for the frontiersmen of the American West. 

Currently...

An Instructor of Mathematics

Albuquerque Academy

6400 Wyoming Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87109

nelson@aa.edu

TEACHING (ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY)...

• 2025 - 2026 School Year (Current Courses)

  • AP Calculus BC

  • Advanced Trigonometry/Precalculus

  • College Algebra / College Trigonometry

  • Advanced Linear Algebra/Vector Analysis

TAUGHT (AT AMY BIEHL HIGH SCHOOL)...

• 2020 - 2021 School Year (Past Courses)

  • Algebra 2 (D-Block)

    • Classes through Zoom

    • Grades on PowerSchool

    • Links and Assignments on Google Classroom

  • Precalculus (Blocks A, B)

    • Classes through Zoom

    • Grades on PowerSchool

    • Links and Assignments on Google Classroom

  • Calculus (E-Block)

    • Classes through Zoom

    • Grades on PowerSchool

    • Links and Assignments on Google Classroom

  • Prep (Blocks C, F)

  • Edgenuity: Online Math Credit Recovery (G-Block - Fall Semester)

• 2019 - 2020 School Year (Past Courses)

  • Algebra 1 (Blocks C, E)

  • Algebra 2 (Blocks A, B)

  • Prep (Blocks D, G)

  • Study Hall 10/11 (Block F - Fall Semester)

  • Acellus: Algebra 1 Online Credit Recovery (F - Block - Spring Semester)

Feel free to contact me with any questions about the courses I teach. All material for this school year can be found on Google Classroom. 

Links

Algebra 1

Geometry

Algebra 2

Precalculus

AP United States History

AP European History

AP Calculus BC

AP Statistics