Amber Evans, Secondary Teacher of the Year
Philosophy of Teaching
It would be hard for me to talk about my philosophy of teaching without telling the story of how it came into being in the first place. After my first three years of successfully teaching at-risk students, I was asked if I would be interested in teaching at the County Juvenile facility (JJAEP). “Dangerous minds – here I come!” – I jumped at the chance.
My first day at JJAEP I arrived to discover that I had no books, no calculators, no supplies, no overhead. I had students – juvenile felons – in Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry all in the same room. Still, I thought, I am a good teacher, I have good classroom management; I can do this.
For the sake of space, let’s just say the next few months were quite a wake up call. My students hated me, something of which they reminded me daily, and trying to teach them math seemed impossible. Over the next six months of trial and error and tears, what I did in the classroom began to evolve, and it looked very different from my first three years of teaching.
Every day became less and less scripted. I had to teach to what each student needed from me. Discovering what that was involved continually asking questions and drawing the information out of them, a process that was immensely rewarding.
Physically, my room was changing too. I was sitting on the floor, in the kids’ desks; they were up at the board, figuring things out, teaching things to their peers. By interacting with them so much, I began to understand how to teach them. I learned to listen to what they had to say. I became very honest with them; I was very specific and detailed when things were not done well, and my students came to respect that.
They came to trust that when they had done something well, I would tell them and my compliment meant something. There was less of my presenting information to the students, and I began noticing that most of the time the best way to answer a question was to ask a thought-provoking one in return. And it worked: my juvenile delinquents were doing math – understanding math – and actually liking my class.
The three year period I spent at JJAEP, prior to teaching in Plano, was the best thing that ever happened to me as a person and as a teacher, and it forever changed my idea of what makes for great teaching. What I discovered by hands-on experience was the time-tested value of the Socratic method: inquisitive, question-directed learning. Teaching and instruction are, I believe, worlds apart.
 I can read instructions on how to put together the pieces of a table without learning how to make one. Most people can follow instructions, and I believe a lot of teachers are good at instructing. I believe students want not just to follow instructions but to understand.
If I spend more than 10 minutes at my ELMO, I have probably started to instruct. On a normal day, my students spend more time at the front of the room than I do. I believe no student should get away with answering a question with “I don’t know,” and I shouldn’t get away without answering “when am I going to have to use this?” I believe that building relationships with students optimizes their ability to learn.
Finally, I believe my students should know that I love my job, and I make a point of telling them that every day, both directly and through my enthusiasm for interacting with them. My teaching philosophy can be summed up with a quote from Nicolas Burbles: “Teaching that begins with questions is both a moral and a pedagogical choice. A teacher teaches with questions because she believes that it is a better way to teach, and a better way to be a teacher. Yet to succeed at this, the questions must be real questions: questions that puzzle, confuse and interest.”
When I entered my first classroom ten years ago, with Harry Wong’s educational sound track playing in my head, it was perfect: bulletin boards dotted the walls, desks were arranged just so, inspirational posters and quotes abounded, I had even painted. I had my first six weeks planned, photocopies run, tests and quizzes written. I was ready to being teaching! Now I realize, I was only ready to instruct.
Educational / Professional Background
University Degrees
Texas A&M University - College Station, Texas
- B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies; Minors: Physical Science / Mathematics
- Distinguished Student / Dean's List
Purvis Real Estate School - Fort Worth, Texas
- 90 hours in Sellers' Transactions, Law of Contracts and Real Estate Principles
- Received Texas Real Estate License July 2001
Teaching Experience
Williams High School, May 2004 – Present
Algebra I Teacher / Mentor Teacher / Team Leader
Co-Author of Plano’s eSchool Algebra I curriculum. Taught a new class for at-risk students and was chosen to pilot the website SocraticLearning.com that resulted in state standardized test scores consistently increasing. One of eight teachers nationwide chosen to field test new technology from Casio designed to encourage students and teachers to utilize new technologies in the classroom.
- "Tech Titan of the Future" - Award Finalist
- Featured on the front page of the "Dallas Morning News" for use of technology in the classroom
- Featured in a segment of Fox Nightly News for use of technology in the classroom
- Teacher of the Month
Fort Worth Independent School District, Fort Worth, TX May 1998 – May 2004
Math Department Chair / Lead Teacher: Algebra I – Pre-Calculus
Developed individual curricula and set long-range goals for the duration of students’ term. As lead teacher, acted as a liaison between administration, probation officers, counselors and behavior specialists. Coordinated and administered a variety of state standardized tests and then created reports showing areas of growth for each objective.
School
Principal Recommendation
It is an honor to nominate Amber Evans as Experienced Teacher of the Year for Williams High
School. Amber currently teaches Algebra, serves as Algebra 1 Team Leader and is the 9th Grade
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher. I have had the privilege of working with Amber for the past four years and am amazed each year to watch her leadership, dedication to students and passion for education grow.
I first met Amber at Plano’s Teacher Recruitment Fair almost five years ago and immediately recognized her as a teacher that Plano “could not live without.” Although Amber was “courted” by other schools to teach math, she chose Williams High School because her passion is working with kids from diverse backgrounds. Prior to coming to Williams, Amber served as a math teacher at the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program in Fort Worth. At Williams, Amber actively seeks to teach the kids who struggle the most with math because she truly believes she can and will help those students succeed in math where they may have failed before.
One of Amber’s greatest strengths is her ability to form lasting relationships with her students (primarily kids who are not motivated to enjoy math class). She talks about her academic experiences with students and how she overcame personal barriers to become successful. She openly displays her high school report cards and pictures of her family on the walls of her classroom so that students can see that not all of their teachers come from “middle/upper class families” and not all of them were straight-A students.
Amber’s message to students is “If I could do it, you can do it, too.” The students understand “she’s got their back” and will do what it takes to help them be successful. The combination of “tough love” and compassionate caring is the basis of the solid relationships she has with her students.
Amber is fearless when it comes to trying new and innovative strategies in the classroom to better meet the needs of her students. Her first three years at Williams, she taught a newly created double-block algebra class designed for students who had previously failed math. Amber took on this challenge with enthusiasm and energy that is inspirational. She worked with the curriculum coordinator and her team to develop materials and utilize technology to enhance student learning.
Amber piloted “Socratic Tutoring” for Plano ISD, a program where students receive live, on-line tutoring during algebra class and at home. In this role, Amber served as a district-level role model in the area of utilizing technology to improve math instruction. Her results showed that all of her efforts made a difference in student achievement in mathematics.
Amber also took on the role of piloting a new calculator for her students. In advocating for her students to have technology tools at home to help with math, she was able to secure graphing calculators for her students. This has enabled her to become an incredibly knowledgeable curriculum and technology expert for Plano ISD.
I believe Amber is a role model for lifelong learning and creativity. When we talk of innovation as something new or daring, I do not believe that applies to Amber. Amber sees innovation as a daily engagement necessary for teaching students with diverse needs. Amber truly does not “think outside the box.” Amber simply doesn’t believe there is a box.
This year, Amber took on two new challenges at Williams both having a direct impact on student achievement and campus leadership. First, Amber became the Algebra I Team Leader. This leadership role fits Amber like a glove as she is the person others naturally turn to when they need curricular help, a listening ear, or somebody to simply share a laugh. She is a natural leader and guides her team seamlessly.
Second, Amber took on the role of 9th Grade AVID teacher. Amber attended the summer institute and teaches two sections of AVID at Williams. In this capacity, she is again able to impact students who otherwise might have “fallen through the cracks” and been at risk of not attending college. She is a perfect role model for AVID because she knows that a significant relationship can make the difference in the lives of the students and strives to form that relationship with her AVID students.
As a campus leader, Amber is a role model not only to her students but to the teachers as she continually strives to “recreate” herself as a professional to better meet the needs of the students, staff and community.
When I visit Amber’s classroom, I am constantly amazed by the positive attitude of her students towards math and towards one another. Respect is required, high expectations are the norm and everyone enjoys being in class. This is not something easily accomplished with students who have not had a history of math success.
Amber stands at the door and greets each student as they enter and before they leave class, they each walk past her desk and say good bye for the day. It is a truly inspirational sight to see students hold a teacher in such high regard.
Sincerely,
Sara M. Bonser
Principal, Williams High School
E-mail congrats to Amber Evans
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