The passion to teach math can come from anywhere. Whether it’s from the influence of an inspiring high school teacher, a parent’s love for mathematical reasoning, or a prior career in accounting, the math teachers of EBHS have different origin stories. Yet, they can all be found after school in the 1400s hallway skillfully explaining derivatives to students who feverishly scribble notes in hopes of achieving that “lightbulb moment”.
Mrs. Cisnero and Ms. Bevilacqua were both inspired by their mothers to become math teachers. Mr. Elias, an Algebra teacher, was an accountant at Ernst and Young before coming to teach at EBHS, where he has worked for over 30 years and coached a variety of sports including baseball, boys and girls bowling, and girls basketball. Coaching has become a useful metaphor in my understanding of what it means to be a good math teacher.
Mrs. Cisnero and Ms. Bevilacqua were both inspired by their mothers to become math teachers. Mr. Elias, an Algebra teacher, was an accountant at Ernst and Young before coming to teach at EBHS, where he has worked for over 30 years and coached a variety of sports including baseball, boys and girls bowling, and girls basketball. Coaching has become a useful metaphor in my understanding of what it means to be a good math teacher.
Math teachers are both the cheerleaders on the sidelines and the guidance on the field. For example, Ms. Bevilacqua acts as a guide to “talk them through some practice problems so they gain the confidence to try them on their own.” and Mrs. Cisnero encourages her students to keep practicing to make their skills applicable to life. She says that major “mathletes” are not the only ones who can benefit from math. She expressed that “not everyone should try to become an engineer, but as a musician you can take advantage of mathematical patterns. As a plumber you will use a lot of math as part of your job. Math is everywhere, we all use it, all the time.”The same way in which Mr. Elias trains players to work hard to win games, he takes a positive approach in his math classes by coaching students “that they can do it if they want to do it…but they have to try.”
Unfortunately, AI has stepped up to bat, offering a way for students to “even the playing field”. However, as a our math coaches have taught us, we need to rely on ourselves to learn these valuable concepts. Math teachers have to take unique approaches to tackle AI powered platforms like Photomath and ChatGPT including Calculus teacher Mr. Ursino, who believes that AI “may be a helpful tool as long as it is not used to just do work for the students. Math is not just about numbers, it is about critical thinking and problem solving skills.”
Striking a balance between preserving core educational principles as well as incorporating the technologies of the future is something that the math department is continuing to navigate. The math teachers of EBHS have hit home runs in teaching valuable critical thinking skills to the students of EBHS.
