As an educator, I will always demand excellence of my students. To do otherwise would be to perpetuate what our 43rd American president called the “soft bigotry of low expectations” – that is, I don’t believe you can do better so I’m not going to ask you to even try. This does not mean expecting every student to be an honors student, but rather, it means giving every student ample opportunity to demonstrate growth. I will utilize UDL and differentiated instruction to give diverse learners these opportunities. It is my role to guide them in making new connections with their prior knowledge and experiences.

In AD 65 Seneca the Younger bemoaned that the content taught to him was not relevant to life: Non vitae sed scholae discimus (“We learn not for life but for class time.”) I strive to make my math content so relatable that this ancient thought never crosses kids’ minds, “when will I ever use this in real life?” Through my authentic interest in my subject matter and by pointing to concrete examples of concepts in action, I aim to ignite in my students a genuine interest in (or at least respect for) mathematical thinking and all it can accomplish. An example of this is evident in my technology-based lesson plan around modeling climate change using real data in Google Sheets.

I firmly believe that school success starts at home. I will communicate early and often with parents, and not just for problem behaviors. Like with my students, I will give parents the opportunities to help their kids succeed both in school and in life. None of us exists in a vacuum. Rather, we are the sum of all the friends, family, classmates, and colleagues with whom we surround ourselves. For some students, that sum will be lower than that of their more privileged peers. For these students I will do my best to help them access resources to meet what Maslow’s hierarchy of needs calls their “deficiency needs” – food, rest, shelter, security, and safety.

Above all, I am committed to being a real human being in the classroom. Students are very perceptive and can easily tell when someone is being genuine. By being authentic and approachable, I create a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel valued and motivated to achieve their best. By demonstrating passion for my subject matter and compassion for each student’s situation, I will be a positive role model for success in STEM and success in life.