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A fascination with math and science grabbed Dan early on in his life. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, he excelled in those school subjects. Then at age 16 he left home to attend the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a public boarding school in Durham, NC, for high achieving students in the state. He went on to his undergraduate college years at UNC-Chapel Hill, then earned a Master’s Degree in Teaching at Western Carolina University.
Teaching is not just a job for me; it is how I am built. I have made a career with the titles of “teacher” and “tutor,” but the philosophy and mechanics of effective education is more broadly how I approach the world and the people in it. When I engage in any of my divergent passions, I find myself considering how I would share and teach this passion to a friend. Whether it’s cooking, archery, personal finance, pinball, music, juggling, fishing, fermenting, hiking, or meditation, I would find that special personal hook, that reason why this skill is wonderful and worthwhile. I would help my friend build a foundation of competency based on their own curiosity and level of expertise at their own pace.
I have carried that passionate orientation of personal interest even while teaching such subjects as algebra, geometry, and discrete math to middle and high school students. I’ve helped my geometry students construct a free-standing keystone arch out of foam blocks, my algebra students open retirement investment accounts, and my homeschool students build earthquake-proof model buildings on a simulated ground of Jello. I believe doing is learning. Whenever possible I find ways to invite students into the challenges that were the original impetus for mathematics and science.
I always, always meet my students where they are. There is no shame in feeling behind and unable to accomplish academic tasks. Instead, it’s just a skill they haven’t fully developed yet. If a student starts working through a problem in a way that is different from the traditionally prescribed method, I am apt to encourage them to continue, see where it goes, and discover for themself whether it works or not. Sometimes it doesn’t, and they’ll ask for a better tool. But sometimes I’ve learned an interesting new way to approach an old problem and had the important experience of modeling my own novice mind. I remind my students that “I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable answer any time, since it unlocks a door to new learning. In fact, the more I learn and grow as an adult, the more those three words have become my own go-to phrase!
“I remind my students that “I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable answer any time, since it unlocks a door to new learning. In fact, the more I learn and grow as an adult, the more those three words have become my own go-to phrase!”
