What made you decide to become a teacher?
I have wanted to be a teacher since I remember being asked that question when I was a kid. I first wanted to be an elementary teacher, then an English teacher, so that changed, but I always wanted to be a teacher. I had a third and fourth grade teacher who had a great influence on me.

What about that teacher was so inspirational?
He made learning fun. He was a science teacher. He got to know us, and he cared about our lives. I remember having to be called down to the office to leave school for an appointment, and I was upset for having to leave his class.

What is the best part of teaching?
I think it’s getting to know the kids, and having that relationship with the kids, and when the math actually clicks for them. There’s an “aha” moment for them, when they really, fully get it, that’s fun to be a part of.

What is the most challenging part of teaching?
For me, it’s that students don’t love math, especially when they get to high school. For a lot of kids, it’s like pulling teeth. But if you make it relevant, it usually clicks for them.

How do you make math relevant to them?
I’m always trying to make it relevant to them, explaining how they might use a problem like we’re working on in their lives. Sometimes that gets complicated – sometimes the higher-level math is about learning how to think about complex problems.

I always talk to them about how important it is so be able to think through things, whether that thing is a math problem or something that doesn’t involve numbers necessarily but does require strategic thinking.

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice at the start of your career, what would that advice be?
To show more grace. I think I was super strict at first. I was told not to smile until December, and I think I would change that. Kids are going through a lot that we don’t realize, and it’s important to keep that in mind.

When I first started teaching, I was that teacher that said you’d better have a pencil, and if they didn’t there would be consequences. Over time, I’ve realized to just give them a pencil and get to work -- there might be a very good reason why that student doesn’t have a pencil.

I’ve learned to let things go and focus on the more important things.

Sanborn Central is a pretty small school. What are some of the advantages of teaching in a small school?
I’ve taught in both. There’s good and bad in both. I love the small school. I know all of the kids, and I know all of their families. I go to all of the ball games. My biggest is a class of 11 -- you can do so much more with a class of 11, than with a class of 30. It’s easier to help someone who’s falling behind with small numbers like that.

Do you have any, “it’s weird but it works” strategies?
The way my classroom is set up, they do notes, then they work in groups, then they work with themselves. They do about 50 problems, total for each lesson, just in different ways. They get a lot of practice in my class, and our kids score well in state tests and ACT scores, so I think the amount of practice they do pays off. That’s a benefit of small schools – not very many if any get left behind.

What is one thing about teaching that people (or non-teachers) don’t seem to know about teaching?
That it’s a work of heart, and I know people say that they know that, but I don’t think people know how much teachers really care about their students and worry about them.