Students are active in their professional communities.

In November, 2016 I attended the annual Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) conference in Rye Brook, NY and am now also a member of AMTNYS. The conference brought together math educators from across New York State and I attended panels focusing on multiple intelligneces, writing in mathematics, hands-on STEM activities, and much more. I also attended a roundtable discussion with other Common Core Algebra 2 teachers and shared best practices and resources with this very demanding curriculum.

On a more local level, I was extremely grateful for how the Sherburne-Earlivlle High School math department welcomed me in to their professional community. They treated me as their colleague and we shared a lot of ideas. Since I was mostly teaching upper level courses I observed other high school math classes and was able to discuss the challenges and triumphs of teaching each course. We also shared resources, as I borrowed individual whiteboards from another math teacher, and borrowed a cart of iPads from one of the science teachers. I was also able to contribute to my local professional community. When I used Algebra tiles as manipulatives for representing the process of completing the square, another teacher observed my class since she was unfamiliar with the algebra tiles but was considering using them in her class. Along with the positive and collaborative relationship I had with my cooperating teacher, being able to discuss and collaborate with other teachers within my school made my student teaching experience much more rewarding and successful.

I am also, of course, very proud to be a part of the Colgate Educational Studies family. I have learned so much about not just teaching, but love and empathy from my professors and peers. 

Photos courtesy of AMTNYS, secsd.org, Colgate Educational Studies Facebook page