Vicky Jenkins

I teach all levels of math from Algebra I through AP Calculus. Honors Geometry is my favorite because the students are so raw, so willing to learn, and still very impressionable. Geometry offers the opportunity for great puzzles that rely on deductive reasoning. I love having students work at the board, where they can move around and express themselves. Some are neat and organized; some work in colored markers with great diagrams; others are so competitive that everything becomes a race. I had a student a few years ago who danced when he was thinking. It was funny to watch him, and also clear that the freedom to move allowed him to think more creatively.

 

As a teacher, I’ve been described as “firm but fair.” On first impression, students can think I’m very really relaxed and casual—this is my public face when teaching. But behind the scenes, I’m a really hard worker. I expect as close to perfection as I can get for myself, so I’m not about to accept anything less than a student’s best work.

 

I coach girls crew in the fall and spring. I like to make the girls stronger and more confident in their bodies. I do 100 abs exercises a day—I try to make sure I can do more push-ups than the girls on my team. Since I’ve passed the 50-years-old mark, it’s getting to be more of a challenge, but I keep doing it because it motivates the girls. I want them to remember it when they’re 50.

 

When I sit and chat with students, I get to see what’s on their minds and challenge them in ways they don’t expect. Recently I decided that my advisees need to learn picnic protocol: how to plan for a picnic and attend one. I’ve warned them that next year we’ll be expanding on the theme: picnics with hikes, winter picnics. Everyone needs to learn to enjoy a picnic.

 

I think NMH students appreciate the fact that they don’t have to fit a mold to be accepted here. The more genuinely unique they are, the more they’re appreciated. I love the fact that NMH doesn’t have a dress code, because it allows kids to be who they feel like being on any given day. If a student walks in with pajama bottoms and a hoodie pulled up, I know he or she needs a little more support that day. The same student might walk in the next day looking like a million dollars, and I know it’s time to be more challenging.