Math and...Social Studies?
I frequently joked in college that I was the only History major at Yale who took Multi-Variable Calculus and Linear Algebra as her two math credits. While that still might be true, both of these academic facts have served me well in my time as a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.
I was originally placed at Meridian High School to teach Transition to Algebra and Survey of Math (I was later switched to teach Algebra I second semester), and because I had enough course credits from college, I was able to take the Mathematics Content Knowledge Praxis II to become certified to teach Math. I had been "good" at math growing up (even competing as a mathlete through much of middle and high school), and the Praxis II confirmed this: I was awarded a certificate of recognition given to the Top 15% of all test takers for the Mathematics Content Knowledge test. During my time teaching from the MS Frameworks Algebra I curriculum, I was constrained to the letter of the law because of the looming SATP2 in May. Nonetheless, I did my best to incorporate more than just the simple knowledge needed for the test, and I used my content knowledge to pull together various topics from across the curriculum for my students to synthesize and better understand. I must not have been terrible at it, as 85% of my students passed the Algebra I state test with a Proficient or Advanced rating in my first year, and the district named me an "A Teacher" both for proficiency and for the growth of my students.
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I requested that Social Studies be added to my teaching certificate midway through my first year, an easy enough process since my college major had been History. When the position opened up to teach Government and Economics in March, I had a meeting with my principal and asked for the position for my second year--he granted my transfer on the spot. Neither Government nor Economics has a state test attached, so this year I have had free reign to focus in on topics that pique my students' interest the most. Because Meridian High School has finally incorporated the Common Core State Standards this year, this has also guided my instruction, with particular emphasis being placed on literacy in its four facets: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Reasoning, as per MHS curriculum guidelines.
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