A short autobiography by Mr. Z:
Looking forward to this year!
I am very excited to be teaching at Newton High School. This is my fourth year teaching at Newton High School and my 12th year teaching mathematics. I really like this community and school district. I plan to move my family to this school district this year.
History:
I have been an appliance repairman most of my life. Which means that I look at issues from a "How do I fix it?" mind set. Meaning that I try to repair / teach in ways that I think are effective. If I’m wrong, I’m quick to apologize and try again. I look for results. Not excuses.
I taught Sunday-School for many years. I really enjoyed it and decided that I wanted to become a public school teacher. Although I love early American History, I decided to earn a degree in my worst subject in high school; mathematics. I worked very hard to earn my degree. Math did not come easy to me. This means that I have empathy for students when they don’t perform well in mathematics. But I have very little empathy for those that don’t work. Mathematics is like baseball. You have to practice, practice, practice to learn how to perform well.
So after being self-employed for 16 years, I dropped my business and went to William Paterson College and earned a BA in Applied Mathematics with a second major in Education and ended up with a 3.3 average. I started up the Math Club there and worked as a Calculus tutor for the Math Dept. After I graduated in the middle of the school year, I found a job right away at High Point Regional High School. It was a short-term assignment to cover a maternity leave. I then worked at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson for four years. I really enjoyed working there, but honestly, the pay was too low. So I went to Manchester Regional High School in Haledon. Both schools were within a mile of my home. I enjoyed helping students in the community that I lived in. I student-taught at Manchester and I expected it to be a fun place to teach in. In the end, it wasn’t. I really wanted to help the students there and I really cared about the place. But working conditions were far less than optimal, so it was time to move on. I taught one year at Pequannock High School. Oh, I also taught summer school in Paterson, Manchester, and Passaic Tech. I've also taught SAT Math adult school in Ramsey and I continue to teach the program in Ridgewood.
So far I’ve taught:
General Math I, II, & III ( CCS courses )
Integrated Math I & II ( Algebra & Geometry combined )
H. S. P. A. Math ( CCS courses that stressed test taking strategies )
Algebra 1A, I, II, & II Honors
Basic Geometry, Geometry, and Honors Geometry
SAT Math
AP Statistics
In college I tutored Pre-Calculus through Calculus 3.
Educational Philosophy:
I’m a teacher. My goal is to help students. I put in a tremendous amount of hours at my job. I’ll stay late after-school for students who need extra-help. I want students to show work. I want to see how they think. I design multiple versions of tests to assess all concepts taught in class. This eliminates cheating and makes it easy for me to retest students.
I’m effective at teaching both high and lower performing students. I work very hard to convey to students that I’m here to help them. I want them to truly understand mathematics.
I performed poorly in mathematics when I was in high school. I want students to be more successful where I found difficulty. I want them to be more successful in life than myself. And I will do whatever is necessary for them to succeed. I give out my home phone numbers and my email address to parents and students. I encourage them to call me if they need help or have any questions or concerns. ( Please don’t call after 9:00pm ).
Retesting Policy:
I have found over the years that my retesting policy works. I require that students see me after-school for extra help prior to retesting. They must complete all homework related to the test, prior to retesting. They must behave in class, once again, prior to retesting. Retesting is a privilege that I extend to them along with the extra help. Under these conditions, students are given the chance to learn and succeed. That’s what teaching is all about. Mathematics is often sequential; each concept builds upon another. If a students fails a test, then a concept is missing that will likely be used in the future. I want that student to have a chance to learn that missing concept and earn a grade based upon what has been learned. In my fundamental classes I allow students to repeat this process until they have earned the grade ( and gained the knowledge ) that they want to achieve. In my CP ( or higher ) classes I average the original test score with the retaken test score.
I have found this policy to be very successful. It gives students an incentive to continue working after poor performance. I went into this field to teach - not to destroy. I want students to learn and show off what they have learned. Some tests can not be retaken { homework and notebook quizzes }. These are specific assessments designed to determine if someone is doing what they are supposed to be doing, not assessment of content knowledge.
I believe that the marking period grades in HSPA Math ( ASIP12, CCS, ASIP 11 ) should be based more upon class participation and self-improvement than upon the assessments themselves. So I am continuously grading classwork for those classes. So retesting in that environment would be inappropriate.
What interests Mr. Z:
I am a wiz at programming TI-8x calculators. I own at least one of each of the following models: { TI-82, TI-83, TI-83+, TI-83+ silver, TI-84 silver, TI-85, TI-86, TI-89, TI-92+, TI-200 }
I live with my wife and our dog in a multi-cultural neighborhood on the border of Paterson, NJ. I am enjoying the novel experience of the empty nest syndrome. My daughter has completed her under-graduate degree ( double major - with honors ) and she is now married. My son is living on his own. So I've indulged myself in my hobby of hiking the Appalachian Trail. So far I've hiked 1598 miles of the trail. That includes my 51 day / 622 mile trek last summer from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Pearisburg, Virginia and my 778 mile trek this past summer from Jennings Creek, VA to the Delaware Water Gap, NJ then from Greenwood Lake, NY to Bennington, VT. I am planning on completing the trail from Bennington, VT to Mount Katahdin, ME this coming summer.
I enjoy canoeing. I spend a fair amount of time riding my motorcycle. I've been tinkering with old VW diesel vehicles for the past three years. I converted one to run on vegetable oil. When I get my 1982 VW Vanagon into decent running condition, I'll convert that one too. I’m a compulsive reader. I like to read books on American history. I love to travel on my motorcycle to Revolutionary War sites. I like to play chess, but I’m not very good. You can always challenge me to a game after school. And yes, I LOVE MATH!