Making Math Fun...
Algebra class doesn't generally involve carnival games and outrageous hats, but Dorothy H. "Darcy" Richards is doing her best to change that at Patuxent High School.
Good teachers can help students overcome common fears of math class by emphasizing real-world applications and even being goofy, Richards said. While teaching her ninth-grade algebra students how to find the slope of a line, she wears a zany ski hat to make them laugh. Another lesson allowed students to play carnival games after finding their probability of winning.
"Math is often a hated subject, and because of that students find it difficult," Richards said. "I love math, and I want my students to love math and succeed in it, so I try to find something that will make it fun."
Richards, 46, started her career as an engineer for a defense contractor, although she had thought about becoming a math teacher since high school. After she began volunteering in her children's classrooms, she decided to go back to school to get a teaching degree.
Richards now teaches algebra, algebra II and geometry, and is co-chairman of the math department. On the side, she tutors students in every level of math and leads an after-school remediation program to help students prepare for the High School Assessment tests. She also reviews test preparation materials as a consultant for educational publishing company McDougall Littell and is a frequent face at school athletic and performing arts events, colleagues said.
"Darcy's tireless commitment to PHS and her students' success is unparalleled," Alexander C. Jaffurs, Calvert County's coordinator of intermediate mathematics, wrote in a letter recommending Richards for the award.
The commitment has paid off in the form of a 97 percent passing rate among Richards's students on the algebra High School Assessment exam.
Citation: Greenwell, Megan (April, 5, 2007). Making Math Fun Wins Her Scores of Fans. Washington Post. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007 040400041_pf.html