In 2015, a move put Molly’s teaching career on pause. Serving with Math Corps helped her get to know her new community and also revitalize her teaching practice. “I was a teacher in Wisconsin and Minnesota for many years,” she says. “Then my husband got a job, and we moved to Ely, Minnesota.”
A rural community with fewer than 3,400 residents, Ely sits just a few miles south of the Canadian border. Although there weren’t any teaching jobs open in the district, Molly did come across the opportunity to serve with Math Corps at the school her children would be attending. A year of service was a great opportunity to get to know the district and get her foot in the door!
New Techniques for Supporting Students
Molly began her Math Corps service in the fall of 2015 with a bit of skepticism. She knew the program was effective for students, but worried about pivoting from the teaching techniques she had used in her classroom. As she dug into the tutoring process, she soon changed her tune. Math Corps’ techniques weren’t so different than hers, and best of all, she saw firsthand how effective they are.
“I loved the methods that I was learning,” she recalls of her early training. “Some of them, I still use now in my teaching!”
As a tutor, Molly enjoyed the opportunity to work with students in small groups. Having the time and space to give personal attention was a wild and rewarding change. “It was incredible!” she says. “I got the chance to see their thinking in a way that you can’t do as a classroom teacher,” she says. The different perspective even led to new insights about how students build skills. “We would practice together and as I was watching them, I would say, ‘Oh, now I see what their brain is thinking, and I can help to correct that!’ It was awesome.”
Becoming a Part of the School Community
Tutoring fourth through eighth graders, Molly got to know both students and staff. Outside the classroom, she got involved with extracurricular activities as well. She chaperoned school dances and helped out with the cross-country team, both of which gave her new opportunities to connect with her students. By building strong, positive relationships, Molly was able to help a lot of her students make progress during their tutoring sessions.
From Teacher to Tutor and Back Again
The impact that Molly had didn’t go unnoticed. At the end of the school year, a teaching position opened up in Ely and the district hired Molly. In the fall of 2016, she started teaching math and computer science at the middle and high school and she’s still teaching there today. In her time as a teacher, she’s had the opportunity to teach a dozen of her former Math Corps students and still uses some of the skill-building activities she learned while serving as a tutor.
“Every Wednesday we play a math game and some of them I stole right from Math Corps activities,” she says through a smile. When she has extra support staff in the classroom, Molly also breaks students into small groups to make sure everyone who needs personal attention gets it. “The ones that are struggling [work] with me. It’s so effective in a large class. I still use that to this day!”
The Benefits of Tutoring Experience
Molly knows that most tutors don’t come to Math Corps with years of teaching experience under their belt like she did. However, she’s a big advocate of the program for anyone who wants to explore the possibility of a teaching career. She recalls just how scary it can be the first time you step up in front of a whole classroom of students by yourself.
“It’s a worthwhile program. Easing into teaching is perfect for people who might be nervous about the classroom management piece,” she says. “That whole part of teaching is intimidating. Math Corps is a really great program for easing into that.”
If you want to learn how you can support local students and start your pathway to a career in teaching, visit join.readingandmath.org to see open positions near you.