Erin Shea

As a math teacher, I have spent many years of my career teaching both traditionally, in conjunction with using the collaborative method of student learning in groups/teams. I am lucky to have also had great colleagues throughout the years with whom I have worked in PLCs to learn and share the methodologies of the Group/Team model in the classroom. I am a firm believer in both group and individual work for students and have extensive training in the collaborative method of learning.

I am a math teacher with high standards and a strong will to empower students to achieve and succeed the goals that educators have set for them. The math taught/learned in high school is a subject often referred to by many as "too difficult". The painful quote "When am I ever going to use this?" also comes to mind. Therefore, I became a high school math teacher to help kids know that they CAN "DO MATH" and that I am a road guide to help them get there.

As a high school teacher I understand the need for structure and consistency, yet I am not afraid to be silly to capture the attention of students in an effort to help them learn a skill. Whether that be dancing in front of students to help them remember the difference between the end behaviors of odd and even polynomial graphs, or singing the quadratic formula to a number of different well known musical tunes. In addition, I often share acronyms I had made up myself as a student in high school, or those that have been shared with me to help remember and grasp key concepts.

My methods and style as a math teacher demonstrate my love, strong foundation and knowledge of the subject and a desire to share it with young people for the benefit of their future and their development as a young person in preparing to be an adult going out on their own into our world.