Tag Archives: Math Teachers

Teachers who specialized in math.

Florida teacher Nicolette Barone named Hillsborough County’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Florida teacher Nicolette Barone has been named Hillsborough County’s 2024 District Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Nicolette Barone

Sometimes outstanding teachers find their way into the classroom quite by accident. This is true of Nicolette Barone, an elementary school teacher from Florida who has been named the Hillsborough County’s 2024 District Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Presidents Award for excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Originally, she intended to pursue a career in nursing.

Nicolette teaches mathematics to fifth graders at Oak Park Elementary School in Miami Beach, Florida. HDR career as an educator has spanned none years. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa.

The honored teacher’s route to the classroom was not a direct one. “I wanted to be a nurse. I was going to save lives,” Nicolette confesses. “But after failing anatomy twice, I realized teaching found me. I’ve never looked back since.,” she continues. Obviously, teaching is her calling. “I always tell people, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it with love. If you bring love into your classroom, into your relationships, and into teaching, you’ll be successful. That’s the key to building connections that last a lifetime,” she declares.

Nicolette earned her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the. University of Tampa University in 2016. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, also from the University of Tampa University.

The PAEMST (Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the nation’s highest honor for K–12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science teachers. The award honors the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, inventors, space explorers, and engineers.

Comfort Baker overcame adversity to become a respected teacher

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Comfort Baker over came family tragedy and adversity to become an educator in Omaha, Nebraska and elsewhere. Photo Credit: North Omaha History

I always enjoy shining a spotlight on outstanding educators. Educators such as Comfort Baker, an African American orphan from North Carolina who became a teacher in Arkansas, Texas, and Arizona. Her story is one of commitment, resilience, and perseverance.

Comfort was born in New Bern, North Carolina, on Feb. 15, 1870. Sadly, she became an orphan at the age of 13, and so she was sent to Omaha, Nebraska, to live with an aunt and uncle. She did well in school there, even earning recognition for her outstanding attendance.

When she was 15, Comfort enrolled at Omaha High School. Unfortunately, that same year her uncle also passed away, and her aunt became confined to a mental hospital.

Faced with the necessity of supporting herself, Comfort secured a job as a domestic in the household of Colonel Watson B. Smith and his wife, Fanny. In 1889, after three years of hard work, Comfort finally graduated from high school. She was the first female African American student to graduate from high school in Omaha, Nebraska. In a graduating class of 50 students, Comfort earned her diploma with honors.

Following her high school graduation, Comfort determined to enter the profession of teaching. She enrolled in Fisk University, a historically Black university located in Nashville, Tennessee. She was able to attend college with the financial assistance of Belle H. Lewis, a high school mathematics teacher in Omaha. Comfort earned her diploma, with honors, from Fisk in 1893. During her years in Omaha, Comfort also became a published author. She wrote numerous articles that were published by the Omaha newspaper, The Enterprise.

Comfort accepted her first teaching position when she became a summer school teacher for African American students in Newport, Jackson County, Arkansas, but by 1896 she was teaching in the town of Corsicana in Texas, and by 1905, she was teaching in Gainesville, Texas. A decade later she was teaching seventh and eighth grade at Frederick Douglas Grammar and High School in El Paso, where she was employed from 1914 to 1917.

In 1917, Comfort married, and with her husband she relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. There she instructed courses in history, algebra, geometry, Latin, civics, and penmanship. She was the first African American teacher in the Phoenix Union High School District, where she taught for 21 years, serving several years as the principal of the school. During these years, Comfort continued to improve her professional techniques by completing courses at the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Comfort Blazer retired in 1940. In all, her career as an educator spanned 52 years. This highly-respected and distinguished trailblazer passed away on June 5, 1946, in Phoenix.

Janice Faiks: Math teacher, school counselor, Alaska State Senator

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Jan Faiks

Alaska teacher and State Senator Jan Faiks worked with her llamas on her farm. (Photo Credit: Anchorage Daily News

Talented classroom teachers often go on to have successful careers in politics. One teacher who proves this to be true is Jan Faiks, a math teacher and school counselor who served in the Alaska State Senate.

Janice O. Faiks was born on November 17, 1945, at Mitchel Air Force Base in New York. As a young girl, she attended Choctawhatchee High School, where she graduated in 1964. After her high school graduation, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Florida State University in 1967. She earned a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, in 1975.

After college, Jan taught mathematics and worked as a school counselor in the Anchorage School District. She worked there from 1968 to 1978. In addition to her work in the classroom, the educator was well known for operating a llama farm.

In 1982, Jan was elected to the Alaska State Senate on the Republican ticket. She served two terms, and became the first woman president of the Alaska State Senate. While there, her biggest claim to fame was that she was one of the key legislators to create the Constitutional Budget Reserve, a savings fund for surplus tax revenues that could be used in times of economic downturn.

After her service in the State Senate, Jan moved to Washington, DC, where she earned a law degree from Georgetown Law Center. She worked for several years as a Congressional staff member. She also served briefly as an assistant secretary with the Mine Safety and Health Administration at the US Labor Department. Finally, she became a lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). She retired in 2013.

After her retirement, Jan relocated to Amelia Island, Florida. There the former teacher was diagnosed with brain cancer, and five months later, she passed away on April 10, 2017. She was 71 years old. You can read her obituary at Anchorage Daily News.

Ohio math teacher Geoff Brown garners prestigious Sliffe Award

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Ohio teacher Geoff Brown has garnered a prestigious Edith May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in Middle School. Photo Credit: Chagrin Falls Middle School

Congratulations go to Ohio math teacher Geoff Brown. He has garnered a prestigious Edith May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in Middle School. This national award, given by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), recognizes the work of outstanding classroom teachers.

Geoff currently teaches at Chagrin Falls Middle School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. There he instructs courses in Honors Geometry and Algebra. This Chalkboard Champion is known among his colleagues for his ability to connect math curriculum to real-world experiences, daily news, and students’ interests. “We are constantly on the lookout for how the patterns we’re exploring appear in the real world,” says Geoff.

Through his engaging teaching methods, his own enthusiasm for math, and his dedication to building students’ confidence in tackling tough problems, Geoff inspires a long-lasting appreciation for mathematics. ”We learn that it’s OK to take risks and make mistakes, which happens a lot when we’re trying to use our creativity to solve unfamiliar problems,” explains Geoff.
In addition to instructing his curriculum, Geoff encourages his students to participate in the MAA’s annual AMC 8 competition, a multiple-choice exam that promotes the development of problem-solving skills. Not only is Geoff an exemplary leader in the classroom, but he is also a leader in his school district as a member of his District Leadership Team.

Before joining the staff of the middle school, Geoff taught at Chagrin Falls High School. Altogether, his career as an educator spans more than 20 years.

As part of his recognition, Geoff received a $500 cash award and an all-expense paid trip attend the 2024 MAA MathFest National Conference last August. The event annually draws mathematicians from all around the country.

 

Math teacher Cristina Irimie, slain at Georgia’s Apalachee School, buried

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Math teacher Cristina Irimie was one of two teachers killed by a student with an assault rifle on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Photo Credit: CNN

Today we remember Cristina Irimie, a math teacher from Georgia. She was one of two teachers killed on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, by student Cole Gray, who was armed with an assault rifle. Her funeral was held on Sat., Sept. 14.

Two students were also among the slain. One other teacher and eight other students were wounded in the attack.

Cristina immigrated to the United States more than 20 years ago from her home country of Romania. After she established herself in this country, Cristina completed the requirements to become a teacher. She inaugurated her career as an educator in 2012. At Apalachee, she taught Algebra. In addition, she was active in Atlanta’s Romanian community and taught classes in traditional Romanian folk dance.

Students described the 53-year-old as caring and patient, and fellow educator Edward Yoon remembers his colleague fondly. “She will be dearly missed. I remember she and I would talk about how our students were doing in math, and she had understanding for the students and helped them succeed,” Yoon continued.

On the day she was killed, Cristina decided to celebrate her birthday with her students. She brought pizza and cake for her class and was in the midst of telling them corny jokes, they said, when she heard a commotion in the hallway and went to investigate.

At her funeral, Cristina was honored with a Romanian Orthodox service conducted in both English and Romanian. “We gather today to offer prayers for a noble soul,” observed the priest conducting the service. “Family members, friends, colleagues, and, in fact, many people throughout this nation and beyond are mourning the loss of a dear wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, parish member, colleague, teacher, and fellow citizen,” the priest continued.