I have been teaching math since 2010. My experience ranges from grades 5-12. I started my career as an eighth grade math teacher, then left that position to work part-time while my children were babies. During that time period, I was a math interventionist in grades 5-12, tutor for grades 5-12+, and part-time teacher at an alternative education high school. I weathered 2020 as a remote middle school math teacher, and I am currently teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry at the high school level. I hold a teaching certification spanning grades 5-12 Mathematics in New Hampshire.
If I could describe my teaching style in one word, I would say BALANCE. I believe that students need to take organized notes, and they need to engage in a variety of practice activities. I strive to differentiate instruction for students, and I acknowledge that this may not happen every day. I provide opportunities for my students to learn through discovery, and other times I demonstrate the steps to master a skill. Striking the right balance between traditional teaching methods and hands-on, discovery-based learning has been the secret sauce to success in my classroom!
There is no greater honor for a teacher than serving students. I am thankful for all the students who come back to visit, seek out my help, eat lunch in my room because they know it's a safe place, write my notes of gratitude, and leave class with a smile.
I earned my M.Ed in Mathematics Education from Lesley University in 2013. I graduated with my BA in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Emmanuel College in 2010.
I started my Teachers Pay Teachers store and blog at freetodiscovermath.com in 2015 in order to provide teachers with quality resources that offer solutions and demonstrate a balanced approach to teaching math. Though I love making an impact in my own classroom, it is a dream come true to be helping tens of thousands of teachers and their students engage in meaningful, engaging math activities.
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Homeschool, Not Grade Specific
English Language Arts, Specialty, Math, Algebra, Arithmetic, Basic Operations, Fractions, Geometry, Graphing, Measurement, Numbers, Order of Operations, PreCalculus, Trigonometry, Other (Math), Science, Special Education, Math Test Prep, Gifted and Talented, For All Subject Areas, Classroom Management, Statistics, Word Problems, Algebra 2, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa, Autumn, Mental Math, Halloween, Winter, Valentine's Day, Decimals, St. Patrick's Day, Tools for Common Core, Earth Day, For All Subjects, Summer, Informational Text, Test Preparation, End of Year