By Ryan Otteson | Reporter
Every summer, the School of Education hosts a Math Teacher Academy, in which math teachers from all over the state can come and learn about techniques that will best help their students succeed. This year, it will be June 23-25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sara Teichelmann has been attending the Math Teacher Academy since the first year it was at Baylor. She is graduating this summer with her masters degree in curriculum and instruction and is pursuing her Ph.D. in the same subject with an emphasis in math. She said she decided to further pursue her education all because of the Math Teacher Academy.
“I just believed in everything they were willing to teach me, and it’s absolutely a philosophy I could get behind and I knew was great for my students,” Teichelmann said.
Teichelmann has also presented at the Math Teacher Academy and is a sixth grade math teacher at Midway Middle School. Several years ago, she made a commitment to focus on teaching the concepts of math, instead of placing so much emphasis on algorithmic learning.
“The more we understand about the concepts and about the thinking and the process, I think the better teachers we become,” she said.
She encourages teachers to attend the Math Teacher Academy, as it is a great opportunity for teachers to share about what works best for their students.
“I have learned so much, not only from just the conference, but also from other teachers. It’s a great opportunity to network,” Teichelmann said.
Dr. Trena Wilkerson, secondary mathematics professor and chair of the department of curriculum and instruction, also sees the impact the program makes on math teachers and their teaching styles.
“They go away with an action plan about what they’re going to do when they start their school year,” Wilkerson said.
The group that attends consists of about 60 teachers from grades five through 12. To accommodate for the different age ranges of students, there are group sessions and breakout sessions during the Math Teacher Academy. Teachers mainly come from the districts that Baylor partners with for student teaching, but all math teachers of grades five through 12 are welcome. Wilkerson said she admires the passion of the teachers that come and that they are excited to learn and share resources.
“I love that joy that they have, and that just reminds me of why I love teaching mathematics, so I think that’s a powerful thing,” she said.
