A Renewed Classroom

I always wanted to be a teacher. I attended public school in one of the “best” school districts in Denver, Colorado. I got good grades, took high level classes, and participated in sports and activities. After taking geometry with my favorite 10th grade math teacher, I knew that teaching math was what I wanted to do. You can imagine my surprise after I started my freshman year at CC and realized I was completely unprepared for the rigor of my college classes. I couldn’t write a paper to save my life. I was intimidated to participate in class discussions. I was now a small fish in the big pond of academics. I felt like I was robbed of the high school education I needed to thrive at CC.  

The more classes I took at CC the more I felt like I was actually learning and not just doing. I found joy in being exposed to ideas that challenged my thinking. My classes were relevant to the world around me and the work I did was a representation of my thinking and not a regurgitation of what I had memorized. When I got my first report card, I was thrilled that there was no GPA calculated. I was no longer a number to be ranked and sorted. I was a valuable member of a learning community. However, I kept wondering why I didn’t get these types of learning experiences in high school.  

So, when I became a high school math teacher, I committed myself to creating a learning environment that promoted the concepts and skills needed to learn math rather than to just do math. I believe all kids can learn. I believe all kids are gifted in some way. I believe in bringing a renewed high school education to students.  

Many of our public schools are steeped in very traditional philosophies that promote sorting and ranking students. Students are often tracked into levels of classes as early as third grade. When I have my students write a math autobiography the first week of school, many of them can remember the exact day, teacher, or event that made them start to hate learning math. There are few safe places in classrooms where making a mistake is valued. Instead of challenging each other’s thinking and collaborating around ideas, students live in fear of exposing their gaps in understanding.  

I knew it would be challenging to make the shift to a learning culture where curiosity is valued, collaboration is expected, and making mistakes is viewed as a learning opportunity. The most drastic change I made was to never put a grade or score on student work. Rather, I provide specific written feedback that supports the concepts they are understanding and provides helpful questions on the concepts they are struggling with. Students are also encouraged to revise any piece of work that is not at a level of understanding. Afterall, learning should be driven by the students’ timeline, not my timeline. 

My students continue to amaze me when they are given the space to think critically. When students create public displays of their thinking on a complex problem, I will ask the class “What do you notice? What do you wonder about?” When given the time and space to think freely, I am amazed at the patterns, connections, and questions they come up with.  

When I run into former students, they never talk about their grade, SAT score, or GPA. They share how they felt like they were actually learning. They recall powerful experiences they had and what it felt like to be a member of a learning community. This is why I do what I do. I strive to create an environment in my classroom that promotes curious investigations that lead to authentic learning. Just like the learning experience I had at CC.