Jeanne Smith

Name: Jeanne Smith

E-mail: jsmith@ridgerunners.net

Position: High School Math Teacher

Experience: 10 years

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Please describe the rewards you have received through teaching.  

 

There are many rewards to teaching such as watching students grow, mature, and learn new things. But I think the greatest reward is opportunity we have to be a positive influence in the lives of young people. During the school year, we spend more time with these students than they do with their families. It is a great reward to be involved in students’ daily lives and to have the opportunity to help them make decisions that will hopefully have a positive impact on their future.

 

If you could implement one major change in education, what would it be?

 

If I could implement one change in education it would be to provide more individualized instruction for students and provide students with more life skills. At the high school level, we are required to prepare all students to be ready for college and I believe we do give all students the opportunity to gain the knowledge they need to attend college. However, I think we are missing out on the opportunity to prepare students for life in the real world. We need to investigate ways to meet students’ needs for where they are now and not for where we think they should already be. We need to tailor student instruction based on their learning styles and their own goals for their lives beyond the 12th grade.