Math Teacher: Priscilla Kim
Happy Thursday Everyone!
Today I have a teacher interview with one of my amazing co-authors, Priscilla Kim. Also known to Instagram as eatmathandlove. I always find it so fun to learn from high school teachers to see what I can learn from them and adapt for my little ones. I also wanted you to learn about the main person who adds lessons to grade 9-12 and see what she’s all about:
1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Following the footsteps of my mom who is a lifelong learner and educator, I always wanted to be teacher.
2. Is there a moment that sticks out to you that you remember from school with a teacher you had growing up ?
Surprisingly, my favorite teacher was my tutor who taught me more things than my teachers from school. I went to public school in Seoul, South Korea throughout my middle & high school years, and her tutoring sessions were my favorite experiences I had in Korea. Hours with her felt magical, because it felt like fun & therapy, rather than your typical science tutoring session. I told her more secrets than I shared with my parents or friends, and she weaved content seamlessly to the context of our regular conversations. Whenever I failed or did well on my report card, she was my constant encourager and support. I was a foodie then (and now), and she would buy me my favorite Korean street food snacks as external rewards for scoring 100s on my tests. However, it was her who really transformed my trajectory of learning so that my external motivations turned into internal motivation, for the value of education. I wouldn't have come this far without knowing that she really cared for me and would go out of her way to help me to succeed academically. I'll never forget "Saguassem" (her nickname in Korean) who made me laugh, cry, and try my hardest in life!
3. How long have you been teaching, what state do you teach in, what do you teach, and what did it take for you to get there?
This is my second year teaching high school math in CA. The Teacher Prep Program in California is long, but worth it. I went through a unique program from Biola University, which allowed me to fulfill all my credential requirements (but student teaching) during my undergrad program where I majored in Mathematics. Otherwise, I would have had to get my B.S., and then go through another one to two years of school for my credential program. I taught full time at a private high school as soon as I graduated from college, so I got to do student teaching "under contract". I felt very blessed to get paid to fulfill my preliminary credential requirements. Now, I am going through a Teacher Induction program which enables me to clear my credential within 2 years. It's a long process to become a permanently credentialed teacher in California, but it is worth the hurdles, considering the complex diversity and the real challenges you face as a teacher in the classroom. The challenges to becoming a teacher do not necessarily correspond to the actual problems you face as a teacher, but the flexibility, perseverance, and grit really prepare you for the level of difficulty of navigating the issues in the real teacher world.
4. What is your go-to tool you use in the classroom and why?
I love the One-Note and my document camera, specifically my Elmo. Because math is so process-oriented and visual, it's really nice to have a tool that helps to visualize and draw what I want to say. Nowadays, I've come to LOVE Google Forms and Google Slides. The possibilities you can utilize them for interactive activities (or just about anything) are endless!
5. Is there anything you do to accommodate your students and how often do you find yourself using that accommodation?
Yes, I like to be flexible and creative when it comes to accommodating both the quantity and quality of work for students. I don't do it for everybody though.
6. What inspired you to start blogging with the School Hive?
I wanted to document my teaching journey not just in my personal journal, but to the world. My hope is that at least one fellow educator can be inspired from my teaching experience, and my joy for teaching be multiplied through this platform.
7. Any advice for a new teacher?
Do whatever you can to know your students individually, rather than seeing them as another third period class. I realized that having inside jokes with each student or class period really helps spice up the classroom environment. "Building relationships is key" sounds like a cliche in just about every education course you heard from school, but it's true. Students really don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care, and I can confirm that daily through experience. Though it sounds like the most challenging thing as a new teacher, I'd say to sit back and enjoy the ride (more). Focus less on pedagogy, and more on building relationships. Storytelling helps!
8. What is your district's plan for going back to school in the fall?
Our plan is to watch the county watchlist until we are safe to have a hybrid program.
9. A lot of people have been saying they hope things start to change in education since this Pandemic, do you think anything will change from it?
I think so much has already changed from the Pandemic, especially in terms of social, emotional development. There will be a higher need for support in that area for the next few years. However, I don't think COVID is the real problem here, because since when did we EVER have the perfect antidote to life's craziest challenges? COVID-19 is uniquely unprecedented, but there have been other challenges that humanity has gone through, and all served as opportunity for change and growth. Personally, without these challenges in education, I think it would take the unpredictable dynamic fun out of my teaching job, which I love so much. What is LIVING if we cannot fully embody and embrace the beauties, sadness, uncertainties, ups, and downs that life has to offer? (It's a limited time offer too ;) If I'm offered every second of my breath as opportunity, this is undoubtedly the prime time to step up my teaching game. Whatever new obstacles online teaching brings, I want to be open. Instead of comparing the present to the past "when we all taught in-person", I want to challenge us to develop ourselves to the next level, where we can easily do both! (& be both!) Let's be the awesome in-person teacher and an even more awesome online teacher! Simply being real about this whole new normal is good and necessary, but to be real AND optimistic is far better I think. Change in education depends on us as individuals, and how we respond to it.
10. Last but not least, where do you see yourself in ten years?
I hope to contribute to a greater society of learners through faith and education by focusing on each child I have today.