Middle school math teachers bring real world perspective to classroom

“Why do I have to learn math!?” It is rare to find parents who have not heard this refrain from their students struggling with a math assignment. At Holy Family Academy in Inverness, middle school students need only to look at the career paths of their own math teachers to understand the value of developing strong math skills.

All of Holy Family's middle school math instructors have actually had successful business careers prior to teaching in the classroom. Collectively, they have advanced degrees including MBAs, CPAs, and Masters in Education along with experience in engineering, finance, and accounting. The personal career choices of these teachers clearly help students see the value of building math literacy. According to Dr. Gretchen Ludwig, Principal, “literacy in the 21st century means much more than the ability to read and write. At Holy Family Academy, literacy also includes the ability to recognize when more information is needed and how to access, evaluate and effectively use information.”

Holy Family Academy's curriculum is designed to equip students with certain “habits of mind” for problem solving. “To succeed in the 21st century, it is not enough for our students to merely know the answers. Critical thinking skills emerge when students are faced with issues where the answers are not immediately known,” states Mrs. Christine Ortlund, Assistant Principal. Beginning in kindergarten, Holy Family Academy's math curriculum not only lays a strong foundation in math basics, but challenges students to build upon math literacy through application and problem solving.

So, how does a Holy Family Academy middle school student answer the question about the importance of math? “I need to learn math because I want to be an engineer, just like Mr. Prus,” states eighth grade student, Isabella Solimene. Math problem solved!