For MS/US mathematics teacher Beatrice White, the end of this school year will be somewhat bittersweet. White taught for two years at SPA. White grew up in Highland Park, coming to SPA from a New York charter school gave her a chance to work in a familiar place with family close by.
“It was a great opportunity to be at a school that I thought would be a good fit for me and to be really near my grandparents and sister,” White said.
In her time at SPA, White has had a chance to work with a wide range of students at many different levels of mathematics, from eighth grade Algebra II students to seniors taking Precalculus.
“One of my favorite things about teaching at SPA was getting to teach math from the middle school level up through Precalculus and to get to see how the ideas we build in Algebra II come up again in Geometry, and then again in Precalc. It’s been fun to track that journey across the math department with eighth to eleventh grade students,” White said.
In addition to teaching the material, White has enjoyed working with the students themselves, who she hopes to have made math a little less daunting.
“I hope that the students that I’ve worked with will leave my classes liking math a little bit more than when they started, or feeling more confident in their ability to work with a range of skills that they’ve been developing,” she said.
One of the ways that White has improved her students’ understanding of mathematics is through the use of tutorial, a structure that she will miss when she leaves.
I really like how students use [tutorial], and not just in the moments when they’re told they have to.” White said. “I like having that space to interact with students.”
As well as forming connections with students, White has formed relationships with her co-workers. She hopes to stay in touch with the other members of the math department after she leaves for New York this summer.
“I think it’s fun to build a network of educators that can continue to share ideas. I’m looking forward to taking on new ideas but also sharing them with people who I’ve worked with here and hearing what they’re working on as well,” she said.
As the year comes to a close, and White looks to the future, she feels a mix of emotions.
“I’ve really liked it here. I’m excited for what’s next, but it’s sad to leave,” White said.