Calculus Hero

My story into education began in 2005 when I became a math tutor at the University of Pittsburgh. Getting enjoyment from helping others understand math, tutoring hardly felt like a job. I thoroughly enjoyed tutoring my peers and seeing their successes. In 2008, I became a Teacher Assistant for a Math Professor at Pitt and that experience became the catalyst for me pursuing an education career. After graduating the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Mathematics, I enrolled in a math education program where I became high school math certified. In 2009, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina to teach at a Title 1 school with the purpose of building an AP Calculus program at the school. While becoming Teacher of the Year was a high honor, I feel strongly that reigniting and building the AP Calculus program at my Title 1 high poverty, inner city high school remains my magnum opus.  It is remarkable to remember that as a first-year teacher, I had five students and no textbooks, yet the task at hand was to teach AP Calculus, without training. With only our taped-up Precalculus books, I reviewed those topics while administration ordered books. I quickly realized that my students were as behind in their math knowledge as I was new to the job. I spent the first semester teaching them Precalculus and the second semester teaching them Calculus. Needless to say, my students did not pass the AP Exam. I felt like I failed them. I never wanted to feel like that again. Over the next couple of years, I constantly changed my teaching methods, absorbed AP conferences, and learned where to focus our time and energy. Not only did I have the desire to improve my teaching, I also realized that it was essential to grow the AP Calculus program at my school. In my third year of teaching, the school threatened to shut down the program. I immediately sprang into action to recruit students, and save the program. Collaborating with all of the honors teachers, I tracked and followed potentially eligible students. I visited classrooms to convince them to double up on their math credits. Through my recruitment efforts and advocacy, I convinced the school that the AP Calculus course challenges students with its rigor and demands and sets them up for future success in any field, but especially provides a pathway to in-demand STEM careers. Now, I have a steady stream of students that go into my AP program, including an AP BC Calculus section. Growing this program required so much grit and determination on my part. In 2020, my AP Calculus students scored above the district, state, and national average on the AP Exam despite being in the middle of a pandemic. They showed resilience and grit. While many standardized tests were canceled, they continued to join me for review sessions virtually which led to their success.