Maryland teenager Tiffanee Snow has been studying algebra since she began attending Forestville High School last fall. At first, she couldn’t stand algebra. Now, she’s making As. Snow credits the innovative teaching style of her math teacher for her success. She especially likes the team approach to classwork.
“Working together helps us get through the problems better than when it’s just one person doing it all by himself,” Snow says. She hasn’t decided what she wants to do when she finishes school, but Snow is considering careers in either cosmetology, photography, or teaching preschool. And although she is excelling in math these days, Snow says she still doesn’t see how algebra is used in the outside world.
While Forestville junior Cedric Lyles cannot offer Snow examples from the outside world, he can assure her that without mastering algebra it will be impossible for her to move on to higher forms of math.
“You can’t do geometry or calculus without algebra,” says Lyles, who views advanced math courses as essential to his future plans. Lyles is a musician who has set his sites on attending the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. Ultimately, he hopes to earn a graduate degree in business so that he can fulfill his dream of starting a music production company.
