The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Page: 4 of 8
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November 10, 2010
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The Rambler I www.therambler.ofg
Math graduates enter teaching fields
Melissa Bates
mdbates@mail. txwes. edu
Secondary schools need
more math teachers, and
this year they got four of
them from Wesleyan.
Between December 2009
and August 2010, four Wes-
leyan graduates got their
secondary certification in
math and were almost im-
mediately hired to teach in
secondary schools.
"If we don't have good
math teachers, students
who come out of high
school won't have the math
background they need for
college," Jane Moore, math-
ematics professor and de-
partment chair said.
Moore said she believes
50 to 60 percent of high
school graduates take a
developmental math class
upon entering college.
Carlos Martinez, school
of education dean, said
even though the U.S. is in a
rough economic market for
teachers, math and science
continues to be the greatest
need.
"If you can teach second-
ary science or math, you'll
get a job in five minutes,"
Martinez said. "If you're
willing to teach junior
high, you'll get a job in five
minutes. If you're willing
to teach junior high in an
urban environment, in two
minutes you'll find a job."
Henry Ly, 41, served two
tours in Iraq and was an
engineer before returning
to school to teach math.
He teaches 220 freshmen at
James Bowie High School
in Arlington.
Ly said he loves it when
he can give a student an
"aha!" moment.
"It gives you a great feel-
ing that you've accom-
plished something, and you
don't get that in the daily
"It gives you a great feeling that you've
accomplished something, and you don't
get that in the daily workforce."
Henry Ly (right)
freshman math teacher, James Bowie High School
workforce," Ly said. "That's
what drove me to become a
teacher"
But Ly said he's in a delu-
sional stage right now.
"I did two tours in Iraq,"
Ly said. "I'd rather be in
Iraq than teaching second-
ary math. That's the delu-
sional stage feeling I have."
Sandra Schneider, 29,
is doing her internship at
Central High School in
Keller. She teaches 150
freshmen and sophomores.
Schneider said the state
certification exam all sec-
ondary math graduates
take is one of the hardest
certification tests.
Schneider and another
graduate, Rebecca Couey,
passed the exam on the
first try, which is rare.
"When you come into
teaching, you forget all
the basics," Schneider said.
"You've spent so much time
in higher level that going
back to basics is an adjust-
ment."
Schneider said she has
several potential math
majors in her high school
classes. One student told
Schneider she wants to at-
tend Harvard. Schneider
said she told the student
to bring a pennant back
from the Ivy League school
so Schneider could say she
taught a Harvard student.
Rebecca Couey, 33,
teaches at New Horizon
High School, an alternative
school in Joshua. She is the
only math teacher for all
ninth through 12th grad-
ers. Couey said she always
wanted to teach at an alter-
native school.
"I was an at-risk child as
a teenager and got really
close to dropping out of
school," Couey said. "If I'd
had an alternative school, it
would've made a big differ-
ence in my life."
Couey said she's differ-
ent than most math majors
who want to go into engi-
neering and technical jobs.
"I don't like the appli-
cations of mathematics,"
Couey said. "I'd rather
teach it than do it every
day. Engineering is not for
me."
Couey said she was deter-
mined to work at New Ho-
rizon. Couey said she knew
there would be an opening
by May 2010 because of a
retiring teacher.
She took 33 hours in
spring, about 20 hours at
Wesleyan and the rest at
Hill College. Couey gradu-
ated July 7 and signed the
contract with New Horizon
five days later.
Luz Padilla, 23, is do-
ing her internship at For-
est Oak Middle School in
Fort Worth. She teaches 69
eighth graders.
Padilla said she always
wanted to work with immi-
grant students. Most of the
time immigrant students
are told to learn English
then go out and get a job,
she said.
"I believed if I got into
Wesleyan Blanket
and Jacket Drive
Donation centers will be set up at different locations
on campus. Please bring warm blankets and jackets
from November 1st—19th so that we can share the
warmth with others this November.
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
2010
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Phone: 817-531-7550
Email: stugov@txwes.edu
Visit us at
OC Hall 202 and 204
"When you come into teaching, you
forget all the basics. YouVe spent so
much time in higher level that going
back to the basics is an adjustment."
Sandra Schneider (right)
intern, Keller Central High School
"I was an at-risk child as a teenager
and got really close to dropping out of
school. If I'd had an alternative school,
it would've made a big difference in
my life."
Rebecca Couey (right)
teacher, New Horizon High School
teaching I could reach some
of those students who've
immigrated to the United
States and give them the
option, if they want to, to
go to college," Padilla said.
Padilla said if people
want to teach math they
have to really like math and
children to be able to han-
dle the rigors of the job.
"It's a lot of work—way
more work than I expect-
ed," Padilla said.
Padilla said Forest Oak is
a low-income school that
is 50 percent Hispanic, 40
percent African-American
and one percent white.
Sometimes she has to sup-
ply the children with items
they need to do their work.
"I have days where I
question why I'm here be-
cause the students seem to
not want to learn," Padilla
said. "I have to tell myself
that's why I'm here."
Padilla said students are
used to teachers quitting.
She said when she has to
do off-campus training,
the students will ask if she's
quitting because they're
bad.
She has to constantly re-
assure them she will not
leave,
"I'm trying to influence
them and help them to see
what's out there," Padilla
said.
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Resendez, Jonathan. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 10, 2010, newspaper, November 10, 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253476/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.