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High School Math at YES Prep

January 17, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

High school mathematics at YES Prep is all about AP readiness. At the front of my classroom, perched against the white board, is a Calculus book; on its cover is a post-it with the words, “Our BIGGEST Goal.” Even though I teach Algebra II, I reference AP Calculus and AP Statistics daily. My students know that AP readiness is the expectation and the purpose of our course. By preparing my students for Advanced Placement courses, I am setting them up for success in a four-year college or university.

I started my career at YES Prep East End as a 2007 TeachForAmerica Corps Member teaching 7^th grade math, the precursor to Algebra I in our system. On the first day of school in my first year of teaching, I told my school director, “This is the BEST JOB EVER!” I then taught Algebra I (next best job ever), and I now teach Algebra II (really the best job ever). It’s been an amazing experience to see vertical alignment at work – now that I teach some students I first taught in 7^th grade, I can show them EXACTLY why direct variation, multiplying fractions, and MASTERING integers was so important! Boo ya! Understanding where my students have been and where they are going allows me to have a strong advantage in the quality of instruction I deliver.

Basically, I could go on forever about the incredible experiences I’ve had teaching high school math…but I’ll give you the top 5 reasons that teaching high school math at YES Prep is the… “Best Job Ever.”

5. EVERY teacher at EVERY campus believes that students can – and should – learn challenging mathematics that prepares them to take (and succeed at!) AP courses.

I am so appreciative of being surrounded by like-minded colleges. The icing on the cake? We’re broken into content teams who meet regularly to decompose data, share best practices, and talk about/do mathematics. We even have rigorous common Unit and Semester assessments that ensure all students at every YES Prep campus is being pushed! The support and camaraderie is unmatched. This is the first year that I’ve taught Algebra II, and my content team is so willing to answer my questions, share their resources, and help me improve.

4. We are preparing kids to excel at professions and fields of study that haven’t even been INVENTED yet!

High school math at YES Prep pushes problem solving and fluidity of knowledge, so that students can tackle problems they have no experience with and so they can apply things they have learned in one area to new topics. We expect students to do more than simply regurgitate skills. When implementing our rigorous, pre-AP curriculum, I know that I am preparing students to engage with technology that hasn’t even been invented yet; we are building minds and creating problem-solvers.

3. School-wide discipline systems and support with student management mean that I can focus on improving classroom engagement and excitement.

From the time I arrived at YES Prep, I was given the tools to effectively manage my classroom. Whenever I’ve had a struggle with managing a particular student, group of students, or class, the admin on my campus have been more than willing to observe, to offer suggestions, to provide professional development, and to trouble shoot. The result? I get to focus on awesome instruction! I’m in the process of implementing a plan for boosting student engagement that involves pictures of my dog, a stuffed animal I received in 7^th grade, and some silly acronyms…I’ll let you know how it turns out! I love that I can – and am encouraged to! – focus on the positive, scholarly behaviors my students’ exhibit.

2. Continuous improvement.

I love a challenge, and I’m committed to being good at what I do. I’m constantly striving to improve my craft as an educator, and that fits perfectly with my role as a high school math teacher at YES Prep. Whether it’s through observations by the Dean of Instruction, peer observations, meetings with my content team, meetings with the Geometry teacher, meetings with my grade level team, student feedback, or random chats in the teachers’ lounge, I am constantly surrounded by incredible educators who give meaningful feedback. I use data from formative assessments, Unit Tests, Semester Assessments, TAKS benchmarks, and student surveys to improve and differentiate my instruction. I am celebrated for my successes, but I am constantly pushed to improve by everyone around me. My job is intellectually stimulating and always challenging! I love that everyone is committed to continuous improvement, and I am so happy here because of it.

1. MY STUDENTS!!

One Friday, my students asked if I would be available over the weekend to help with their problem set. I let them know that I’d be at school from 9:00am – 12:00pm on Saturday doing work if anyone wanted to stop by, not really expecting that any 16 year olds were going to voluntarily come to school on a three day weekend. I assumed they would just call me on my school iPhone, as usual. Wrong. So much for getting work done! Almost 20 students showed up at 9:00am to get help on their problem set; we worked through examples, shared problem-solving strategies, and checked each other’s work. I ran the day like a professor holding office hours, and they LOVED it!

We work hard to acculturate our students, and it works. Consistent limits, high expectations, and positive relationships make a huge difference in their lives; 20 of them came to school on a Saturday voluntarily, for crying out loud!!!

Best. Job. Ever.

Leah Granacki teaches high school mathematics at YES Prep East End and serves as a high school grade level chair. She will be moving into the high school principal role in the spring of 2010. Leah is a 2007 graduate of Cornell University and a 2007 TeachForAmerica Houston Corps Member.