Current Position:

National Board Certified High School Mathematics Teacher at Apex Friendship High School

Degree (s):

• Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Secondary Mathematics Education, minor in Spanish, NC State, May 2013

Was the degree you earned required for the work you do? How did you find yourself in your current position?

I entered NC State in the First Year College knowing that I wanted to do something with math, but not quite sure exactly what. I thought that I would eventually earn a degree in Math or Engineering. Teaching was always in the back of my mind since my mother is a teacher. Also, my math teachers in high school influenced me greatly and instilled my passion and love for mathematics. Shortly after starting at State I realized that I could earn both a degree in math and math education. This way I could teach, have a deep understanding of math, and have a math degree to fall back on if I ever decided not to teach.

I earned both a BS in Mathematics and a BS in Mathematics Education. Neither are technically required to teach high school math since there are alternate methods for earning your teaching license. I am very thankful that I have a degree in math because I truly feel that I have the background knowledge to teach all math levels offered in a high school. After graduating from State, I took a job teaching 8th grade math at the Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy. After two years at the Women’s Academy, WCPSS opened up Apex Friendship High School. I wanted to experience what it was like to open up a new school – starting traditions, developing the math department, and molding the basketball program (I also coach basketball); so, I applied and moved to Apex Friendship High School. I teach all math from Foundations of Math 1 to AP Calculus BC and couldn’t be happier!

What skills or abilities do you find are most important in the work you do?

Besides understanding the math concepts, I believe that organization and communication are skills that are essential in teaching. You are constantly communicating with coworkers, students, and parents. In order to effectively work with these different groups, you need to be able to communicate with them all. Organization is also essential because you are constantly planning future classes, assessments, and wearing many different hats within the school.

What preparation would you recommend for someone interested in entering your field? Are there any courses at State you would recommend?

If you are interested in entering the education world, you definitely should!  It is an incredible profession in which every day is different, and you are making differences in students’ lives every day. If you are interested, I would recommend that you shadow/observe in as many different types of classes and schools as possible. I would also recommend taking as many math classes as you can and tutoring as many students as you can. This will help you understand some aspects of the teaching field.

What other career paths would you suggest a student explore before making a final decision?

I would suggest students look into going to grad school in order to teach at the graduate level. I also always thought actuary science looked interesting too.

If you had to do everything over again, would you do anything differently? Why or why not?

I don’t think I would do anything different. I absolutely loved my time at NC State. I had amazing professors that helped shape my views of mathematics and mathematics education. I am very thankful for my education and experiences that I had at State.