Teachers are working to shape young individuals and help them realize their potential and power as they step into the real world. We should prepare them to be respectful critical thinkers and functioning members of society who can use the concepts that interest them to make a living and provide positive change for our future.”
Jeske’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Mathematics
Why Mathematics
“I used to say I liked math because it was black and white, there was a singular right answer which could be verified. However, now that I know that is not true, I think I can more accurately describe my interest for math as a love for logic and reasoning (in another life maybe I’m a lawyer). I have come to recognize that math concepts could be broken down into logical steps and that there were a variety of ways to be correct or nearly correct and that vastness piques my interest. Additionally, math class can become a barrier, preventing students from reaching their goals (e.g., college, major, career, etc.). Recognizing these inequities, another impetus for my career path was to support students in breaking down the barriers of math classes, allowing ALL students to feel as though they have a place in the field.”
Professional Experience
In high school, Jeske worked for a student-run tutoring company, where she tutored middle and high school students. She continued tutoring into college at the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Oregon.
In summer 2017, Jeske worked as a math researcher through a Research Experience for Undergraduates program at San Diego State University. Jeske and her project partner’s work will be published in an upcoming volume of the math journal Integers. She also worked as a teacher’s assistant for the University of Oregon Math Department and worked as a middle school math instructor for an organization called Math Circle, which was designed for young students who have a heightened interest in math. Math Circle participants meet once a week to explore difficult math problems in fields of combinatorics, graph theory, set theory, and algebra—subjects that most students do not encounter until college.
Jeske will begin teaching at Fremont High School during the 2019–2020 school year.
Volunteer Experience
Jeske volunteered as a student teacher at a South Eugene High School, while she studied at the University of Oregon, where her love for teaching was confirmed. She also taught English at a language school for two months while living in Barcelona, Spain after completing her undergraduate degree.
Hobbies
Jeske enjoys going to the beach, hiking, playing tourist in San Francisco and is continuously working to become fluent in Spanish.
Academic Background
- Stanford University (Master of Arts in Education)
- University of Oregon (Bachelor of Science in Mathematics)