The road to a career in education is rarely a straight path. From getting a license, to finding the right age level and subject, to clicking with students, most teachers have a number of challenges they have to work through over the years. For Molly, a middle and high school math and computer science teacher of more than twelve years, Math Corps was the perfect option when her career track got interrupted back in 2015.
“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, far from any population centers. With several years of teaching under her belt already, Molly would have been a strong candidate for any positions nearby. But in small communities like Ely, options are often limited.
“There weren’t any [teaching] jobs open,” she recalls. While on the lookout for work, she stumbled across an opening for a Math Tutor at Ely’s elementary and middle school. “My kids were going to go to there and I really wanted to be working in that district. I thought, ‘Ooh, a way to get my foot in the door!’”
New Techniques for Supporting Students
Molly began her Math Corps service in the fall of 2015, albeit with a bit of skepticism. She knew the program was effective for students, but worried about abandoning her personal math teaching techniques in favor of the program’s instruction. 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!”
Molly’s concerns disappeared entirely once she began working with students. Thanks to her years of experience, she was already comfortable talking and working with children, but she hadn’t ever gotten the chance to work in such small groups before. Having the time and space to give personal, sustained attention was a wild and rewarding change from her teaching days.
“It was incredible: I was getting a 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
Molly soon became a mainstay of the small school district. She tutored fourth through eighth graders, getting to know students and staff as she walked the courtyard between the elementary and middle school countless times. During her open sessions, she volunteered to support other classes, including her son’s! Still new to the area, Molly appreciated the chance to meet his friends and see him throughout the week.
Outside the classroom, Molly followed the path of many Math Tutors before her and 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 blossom in 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. Because she moved up in grade from her time tutoring, she has gone on to teach dozen of her former Math Corps students! She still uses some of the skill-building activities she learned from the program.
“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 needed 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 want 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.