The feeling of accomplishment after guiding someone to an ah-ha! moment is addictive. I was lucky when I was younger to have been the student of many generous teachers. They gave away their knowledge, their time, and their compassion while asking for so little in return. I cannot imagine another group of people who so inspire me, not only to be a better teacher, but also to be a better person.”
Robin’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Mathematics
Why Mathematics
“I fell in love with math because of its elegance and its complexities. While many people tell me math stresses them out (and it used to stress me out too), I now find doing math to be incredibly calming. In math, what does not exist I can invent, and what I do not want to exist I can erase. I can vacate the turbulent tides of my day-to-day and venture into the depths of universal truths.”
Professional Experience
As an undergraduate student, Robin participated in field work at Relationship Empowerment Affirmation Leadership (R.E.A.L.) Skills, where she taught elementary students after school to help them develop their academic skills and social values. With R.E.A.L. Skills, she also facilitated a weekend intensive anti-violence workshop for high school students in Poughkeepsie, New York. Working with the youths in this program is what first sparked Robin’s interest in urban education.
While in college, Robin was also afforded the opportunity to be a science education intern at Poughkeepsie High School, where she collaborated with a mentor teacher to design and implement various geometry projects. During her senior year, Robin worked as a teaching assistant for the college’s math department and held office hours for students in Real Analysis and Modern Algebra.
Robin began teaching at George Washington High School in Chicago, Illinois in September 2016.
Hobbies
Robin swam competitively for 13 years and has visited nine different aquariums on three continents. She also enjoys folding modular origami, reading, and finding new bowls of noodle soup to eat.
Academic Background
- University of Chicago (Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Mathematics)
- Vassar College (Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics)