For math teacher, words are just as
important as numbers
“No matter what discipline you teach, there is language and
vocabulary that students must be able to read and understand,” said
math teacher Marisa Gonzales Hart '08GEd, '12Ed.D. “It is your
responsibility as a teacher to include literacy within your content
area.”
A strong believer in literacy across all disciplines, Marisa
submitted a workshop on the subject to the Association of Mathematics
Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) as part of an assignment
she was given as a student in St. John’s University’s Ph.D. in
Literacy program.
Impressed with Marisa and her presentation — “If They Can't Read,
They Can't Add” – AMTNYS invited her to conduct her workshop at
their 61st Annual Conference in October, 2011. There, she
demonstrated how Hungarian mathematician George Polya’s approach to
problem solving and critical thinking can be applied to content
areas other than mathematics. “The new common core curriculum
standards emphasize that students be able to explain their
thinking,” she said. “They have to understand logical reasoning and
know how to use it in math, in science, in social studies and above
all – in life.”
A Grade 11 and 12 teacher of mathematics in Brooklyn, Marisa’s
steady rise within her profession began in 2006 when she decided to
fulfill her dream of becoming an educator. After spending 14 years
as a homemaker and raising three children, Marisa took advantage of
the New
York City Teaching Fellows Program and enrolled in The School of Education
(SOE). “I had a business degree, but after I graduated from
college, I knew I wanted to teach,” she said. “I took time off to
raise a family, and then decided to earn my master’s degree in
education.”
While at the University, Marisa not only learned education theory,
but its practical, real-world applications, as well. “My professors
at St. John’s really taught me that we’re all different, and that
more than one learning approach is needed to reach all students in
a class,” she said. “Developing personal connections to students
has more of an impact on academic growth than anything else you can
do as a teacher.”
Upon earning her master’s degree, Marisa immediately began her
doctoral work at St. John’s, something suggested by Brett
Elizabeth Blake, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The School of
Education. “She believed in me and thought that it would be a real
opportunity,” she said. “I’m blessed to have met people in the St.
John’s community who helped me find the path I was destined to take
on a personal and professional level.”
By the time Marisa completes her doctoral work in late 2012 or
early 2013, she may run into a very familiar face while on campus —
her daughter’s. The high school senior has just been accepted to
St. John’s and the University is on her short list of institutions
she’s considering. Marisa is thrilled with the prospect — and with
good reason. “So many people here have gone out of their way to
help me achieve success,” she said. “Everyone here has been so good
to me.”