About

Let me live in my house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish – so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Sam Walter Foss

Akwaaba y’all! I am Scarlet and I play a teacher in real life…

Hello and welcome. My. name is Scarlet and I am studying Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Boston University. I am also the Board President of Camfield Tenants’ Association and the Executive Director of the Paulette K Ford Community Center. I am also a dog mommy and a misfit rebel. I have plans to turn the world of teaching upside down.

My road to BU was non-traditional; like almost everything about me. I attended Bunker Hill Community College majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I think that was where the seeds of teaching became planted. I found myself teaching both myself and my classmates. What I found made learning hard is the fact that teachers don’t show practical applications of math to the things students care about. The students I tutored all complained about teachers throwing around terminology without clearly explaining the concept.

I graduated from Another Course to College (ACC) in #@%?. ACC is a charter school in Boston, MA that at the time required an exam to get in. Prior to attending ACC, I attended The Dana Hall School, a private institution in Wellesley, MA. My experiences at Dana and ACC have crystalized for me the issues with the school system in general. Students shouldn’t be “selected” for preferential treatment based on a percieved ability. Additionally, no matter how many resources are poured into the public school and advanced the curriculum is, it pales in comparison to the curriculums of private institutions. I found this to be true even at the college level. Knowledge is free and ubiquitous.

Finally, working in the community has taught me many valuable lessons. Everyone can learn. Children are more insightful than what we think. Students know when you don’t have the answer. Never tell a child stop asking questions; just keep answering until the child has no more questions.

The teacher revolution will be blogerized.

What does RHPS have to do with teaching?

Like Frank-N-Furter, my decision to become a teacher was an accident. Well, it was more of an ephiphany informed by a hasty decision. The answer was in front of me all the time; In a single instance, all of the pieces seemed to fit into place. Like Frank-N-Furter, I want to create the perfect curriculum fitting together student interests with real world applications of math and science. I don’t think I can do it in seven days but I am sure I can make it fun and meaningful.