Pi Day, celebrated on Mar. 14th, is a day celebrated around the world in commemoration of the mathematical constant π (Pi).
In celebration of Pi Day, we are taking a look into the lives of several math teachers. We will explore what sparked their interest in mathematics and how they try to make class engaging for their students.
“I think a lot of it is me showing up with the right attitude and being interested in what I’m teaching, and then something that I don’t do as well, but what I’m trying is to connect math into situations that are really relatable to see the importance,” said Ms. Rabasca, when asked about making class interesting for her students.
Ms Rabasca, who teaches Precalculus and AP Calculus AB, has been teaching for six years, attended Harvey Mudd College, and has taught at Soquel High School, Cindy Avitia High School, and Del Mar High School.
“I think it’s exciting to see how much of our world that we feel like isn’t explainable, we actually can explain with math, with the right mathematical equation, we could predict the future, and that’s pretty cool,” said Ms. Rabasca on why she finds math exciting.
Mr. McVey, another math teacher, said he tries to make his students feel excited about learning math.
“Oh yeah, by making it more interactive, and not just me lecturing all the time and just talking to them. I try to make it more of a conversation like where they can respond and react with me and keep it interactive,” said Mr. McVey.
Mr. McVey has been teaching for 25 years and attended Western Washington University. Before his time at Del Mar, Mr. McVey taught at Henry T. Gunderson High School, San Jose High School, Hoover Middle School, and Branham High School.
Mr. McVey shares how he decided to enter the field of education.
“Honestly, I just like helping people…There’s nothing else I’ve ever actually enjoyed as far as doing a desk job or something like that all day. I could never do that, so it’s just interactions with and helping people learn something,” said Mr. McVey.
Ms. Dunphy, who teaches Integrated Math 1, also shared her insights for getting students interested in math.
“I try to have them talk to each other to start every class, I also try to include fun games and group activities so that students always feel like they’re working together to achieve a common goal, and I really try to focus on how I present the material to the students, making sure that it is accessible and interesting for them to try,” said Ms. Dunphy.
Ms. Dunphy has taught for six years and attended San Jose State University and California State University Monterey Bay. In addition to teaching at Del Mar, Ms. Dunphy has also taught at North Salinas High School.
Math often faces skepticism from students questioning its relevance. However, Ms. Dunphy emphasizes its critical role in preparing students for the challenges they will face.
“I think learning math teaches students so many valuable skills in life, not only in STEM careers, but also in how to be analytical, how to problem solve, how to work on challenging problems and persevere even when it feels like it’s a little bit too hard. It also teaches students how to collaborate with one another and how to use logic to solve problems,” said Ms. Dunphy.
As Pi Day demonstrates the significance of mathematics, the teachers at Del Mar continue to play an important role in education.
“Very excited to celebrate Pi Day,” said Ms. Rabasca.
