James has the ability to reshape our conception of what we can reasonably expect from students, and I am deeply hopeful that he has that opportunity, that he has the chance to show this country what high school students in the most marginalized communities can accomplish. A Master of Public Health Degree will guarantee James has the knowledge and skills to improve health care in Prince George’s County and the D.C. Region, ultimately giving expanded opportunities to PJ – a student who James received a suicide note from his first year teaching.
James is committed to systemic change. He persevered through immense personal challenges in his first year, demonstrating his commitment to his work with his kids and families. In James’s first year, …show more content…
Anything less is racism or classism.” It is with this orientation that underlies all of his decisions, his motivations, and ultimately his actions. James is at the forefront of what’s new and research-proven to give his students the absolute best and rigorous way to learn mathematics. When one reads over James’s vision, it could feel sparse, bullet-pointed; however, knowing James, it’s simply the result of him being so razor clear what’s most important for his students to be successful in college level mathematics courses. To James, not only do students need the fundamental backbone to conceptually understand mathematics (the broad set of equations, finding zero’s, logarithmic versus exponential functions, etc) but his students must possess an uncharacteristic zeal to problem-solve, to collaborate with one another, and persevere despite the regular challenges of learning mathematics. In fact, James’ students have embraced the fact that learning Algebra is hard – to them, it’s a state of being. I remember during one of my observations, I was speaking to a group of students and asked them a general question along the lines of what they thought about the class. There was a long pause and one student answered with a confused look on her face, “Honestly, I can’t put to words what I think about this class. It’s so hard and …show more content…
Murphey’s outlook on his work as loving. He has a fierce love for his students. As he looks at his students he sees them for who they are currently are as high school students and embraces their silliness and the way they see the world. He also sees them ten years down the road and so keenly knows the path that lays ahead that he loves them so much to make corrections and seizes teachable moments. He loves them enough not to just correct, but to make sure the student understands the mistake. No matter the circumstance, he sees it as his role and his job to step in a make change happen. When I ask him how he is able to work as relentlessly as he does, he has explained to me that at the end of the year he wants to be able to know that he seized every moment, every tutoring opportunity to give his students what they deserved. He full-heartedly sees himself as the leader of his classroom and because of this his students love him and will follow him wherever he wants to lead
James is committed to systemic change. He persevered through immense personal challenges in his first year, demonstrating his commitment to his work with his kids and families. In James’s first year, …show more content…
Anything less is racism or classism.” It is with this orientation that underlies all of his decisions, his motivations, and ultimately his actions. James is at the forefront of what’s new and research-proven to give his students the absolute best and rigorous way to learn mathematics. When one reads over James’s vision, it could feel sparse, bullet-pointed; however, knowing James, it’s simply the result of him being so razor clear what’s most important for his students to be successful in college level mathematics courses. To James, not only do students need the fundamental backbone to conceptually understand mathematics (the broad set of equations, finding zero’s, logarithmic versus exponential functions, etc) but his students must possess an uncharacteristic zeal to problem-solve, to collaborate with one another, and persevere despite the regular challenges of learning mathematics. In fact, James’ students have embraced the fact that learning Algebra is hard – to them, it’s a state of being. I remember during one of my observations, I was speaking to a group of students and asked them a general question along the lines of what they thought about the class. There was a long pause and one student answered with a confused look on her face, “Honestly, I can’t put to words what I think about this class. It’s so hard and …show more content…
Murphey’s outlook on his work as loving. He has a fierce love for his students. As he looks at his students he sees them for who they are currently are as high school students and embraces their silliness and the way they see the world. He also sees them ten years down the road and so keenly knows the path that lays ahead that he loves them so much to make corrections and seizes teachable moments. He loves them enough not to just correct, but to make sure the student understands the mistake. No matter the circumstance, he sees it as his role and his job to step in a make change happen. When I ask him how he is able to work as relentlessly as he does, he has explained to me that at the end of the year he wants to be able to know that he seized every moment, every tutoring opportunity to give his students what they deserved. He full-heartedly sees himself as the leader of his classroom and because of this his students love him and will follow him wherever he wants to lead