Julie Klingensmith
Norman High School
Mathematics Education
What is something you are utilizing in your classroom that you learned in your teacher preparation program at the JRCoE?
My bachelor’s and master’s degree experiences at JRCoE included exploring problem-centered learning. It was great to practice this before implementing it and I created a file of different hands-on, group activities where students discover mathematical concepts on their own. When I first started teaching it was intimidating to not lecture but through experiences at OU, I gained ideas about how to implement group activities effectively and I created a variety of innovative lessons.
What are some of the things you most enjoy about teaching?
I love building relationships with students, getting to know them and then watching what they do in college and beyond. Teaching is never boring. I love that each day is different and you have to multitask every moment.
Tell us about something you are proud of in your accomplishments as a teacher.
I’m proud of constantly pushing myself to keep improving. That might be through professional development, National Board Certification or leadership roles in my district and on the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics board. I am also proud of my role at Norman High where the math department is a family working well together. We have created strong collaborative teams where we share ideas and come up with creative lessons together.
Amanda Nies
Spearman Junior High (Spearman, Texas)
Social Studies Education
What is something you are utilizing in your classroom that you learned in your teacher preparation program at the JRCoE?
I can safely say, the skills taught to me by Dr. Brugar and Dr. Houser have helped me every day of teaching. Most of my creative activities for students come from my classes with these two amazing professors. They helped teach me how to be a flexible and evolving teacher that doesn’t just get in the front of the class and lecture every day.
Tell us about something you are proud of in your accomplishments as a teacher.
So far this year, I am proud of the connections I’ve made with my students. I credit that a lot to being a young teacher because I can incorporate their “teen language” into class discussion and lectures. They love hearing “Santa Anna and Stephen Austin had beef” or learning how to read a map by incorporating the Fortnite map. By being myself and becoming aware of the students’ interests and lingo, I’ve been able to easily and quickly build bonds with many of my students.
Tell us about your hopes for your future as a teacher and for your students.
In the future, I want to continually grow as a teacher and improve my teaching methods. I don’t ever want to feel bored or like I’m just reusing the same material from the year before. I also want to make it a yearly tradition to come to the graduation of all my students. I can’t imagine how amazing it will feel to see my first group of students walk across the stage to get their diploma!
Julia Prise
Norman High School
Mathematics Education
What is something you are utilizing in your classroom that you learned in your teacher preparation program at the JRCoE?
In my teacher preparation program at OU, I completed an assignment that focused on the history of mathematics, specifically mathematicians throughout the world. There are fascinating mathematicians throughout the world and in many diverse cultures. My assignment required me to create biographies on multiple culturally diverse mathematicians to share with my classmates. In my high school classroom, that project has now morphed into “Mathematician Monday.” Each Monday, I give my students a quick overview of a mathematician from a different culture, time period, ethnicity or gender.
What are some of the things you most enjoy about teaching?
My favorite thing about teaching is being able to help students fall in love with mathematics. Often, mathematics is simply taught in a silent, rote memorization format, but that’s not how I teach. I am loud, excited and energized about my subject, and want students to be as excited about it as I am. I want students to have fun while understanding the patterns and ideas that make our world work. I love showing my students that math can be beautiful, fun and interesting.
Tell us about your hopes and dreams for your future as a teacher and for your student.
As an educator, I hope to continue improving my educational techniques to better serve my students. I hope to make my classroom more interactive as I continue throughout my career, always trying new things and pushing students further in their mathematical journey.
Rebecca McClure
Rosa Parks Elementary (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Early Childhood Education
What is something you are utilizing in your classroom that you learned in your teacher preparation program at the JRCoE?
There is so much that I’m utilizing from the program at JRCOE. I am using classroom management skills and teaching practices everyday that I learned through my mentor teachers and professors at OU. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not utilizing Conscious Discipline strategies with my 4-year-olds!
What are some of the things you most enjoy about teaching?
I really enjoy getting to know my students. I love that I get to know them through play-based experiences everyday. Building relationships with students is hard work but so exciting and enjoyable!
Tell us about your hopes and dreams for your future as a teacher and for your student.
One of my biggest hopes and dreams as an early childhood educator is to continue to advocate for developmentally appropriate practices in education. My greatest hope is to see the system change for our students so that every child has a chance to learn and grow.