Chicago Blackhawks January Teacher of the Month!
Name:
Denise Dunlop
School:
Robert Abbott Middle School School District: Waukegan Public Schools
Classroom Team:
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I am a career changer having earned a degree in computer engineering and working in the field for 8 years. After being out of the workforce for 10 years to raise my children, I decided to earn my Illinois teaching certificate so that I could share my love of mathematics with middle school students. My move into STEM has provided an opportunity for me to combine my original career, engineering, with my current career, teaching!
What has been your most memorable moment as a teacher?
My most memorable moment as a teacher is really a collection of memorable moments. I am always so humbled when I run into former students and they share with me that they learned so much in my class, enjoyed my class, or found success in math for the first time in my class. I especially enjoy hearing the successes that my students have enjoyed in high school and beyond.
What is your favorite part of Future Goals and how are you using it in your classroom?
Middle school students love sports and love working independently on their computers. Future Goals, along with other EverFi courses, provides well designed and engaging activities. Although I have used other EverFi courses in previous school years, Future Goals was an excellent addition to a remote STEM curriculum.
What was your student’s reaction to the program?
Overall, students enjoy EverFi courses and Future Goals was no different. The older students (8th graders) seemed to enjoy the course a bit more than my younger students (6th graders). I think this was because some of the math concepts were very new to the 6th graders. At the same time, the course provided an excellent review of and unique application of math concepts that the 8th graders were already familiar with.
Who is your favorite hockey player?
My favorite NHL player is Blackhawk Patrick Kane because he is an American born superstar.