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Aric R. Barnes Jr., a five-year mathematics teacher at Sam Houston High School, recently explained the importance of education and how teaching high school has impacted his and his students' lives.
Barnes became a teacher for three reasons: 1) He grew up in a family of educators, both his parents and sister having also taught in the Houston Independent School District; 2) the many role model teachers he had throughout his school and college careers that changed his life trajectory and inspired him to "pay it forward"; 3) the fact there is a shortage of science, technology, engineering and math teachers, yet STEM fields are increasingly important for living in and understanding our 21st-century world.
Houston Daily recently had a chance to interview Barnes and ask him some questions about his time as an educator.
Q: What have you learned about teaching that you did not learn about in school?
A: I always knew teachers were expert multitaskers and were expected to be "flexible," but I did not know what this meant until I began teaching. Teaching during COVID has put an entirely new meaning to "multitasking" and "flexible," for better and for worse.
Q: What was most surprising to you about being a teacher?
A: I am surprised at how fast time flies. Perhaps it is because each year I have taught has been marked by some historical event or crisis — Hurricane Harvey, moving school buildings, ice storms, pandemic, war — or because of how busy I am during the week. But time flies!
Q: Is there any particular moment or memory that stands out for you?
A: Two years ago, one of my students from my first year came to school to visit some of his former teachers, including me. At the time, he was a sophomore at the University of Houston and spoke to some of my classes. I was touched because he shared that he himself wanted to become a teacher and return to teach at Sam. My first year was the most challenging, and many times I felt that I was accomplishing nothing, but here was a student who credited good teachers at Sam with inspiring him to want to pay it forward. It really is true that teaching is like planting a seed; we will never truly know what greatness we have sowed, and it will be others who reap it.
Q: How has education changed for you since becoming a teacher, and how have you responded to the change?
A: There has been an increasing and incessant focus on standardized testing and (things like) increasing class sizes — this year, I had a total student load of around 225 students — an additional intervention class to address "learning loss" mandated by the state; shorter class periods, 45 minutes; and an expectation that as long as teachers differentiate instruction and build relationships with students, we can reach all students at their individual levels. Note: The diversity of learning backgrounds and needs is even more massive now than before COVID. The sum of these factors has had many consequences.
Q: What are the most common barriers you see to academic progress in your classroom?
A: The most common barriers to academic progress in my classroom and school are attendance, student behavior, and prerequisite knowledge and skills. Students' attention span and ability to focus on and persevere through a problem have greatly deteriorated compared to prior to the pandemic.
Q: How do you see the role of the teacher in the learning process?
A: I see my role as a questioner and provider of experiences. I believe the feeling of discovery and investigation is much more powerful than the feeling of being "taught." I seek to have students learn mathematics by engaging in problems and tasks that mathematicians throughout history have faced. This is difficult to do in 45-minute class periods with diverse learners, but it is possible and completely worth the effort. A student who discovers the patterns within the Pythagorean theorem or Sierpinski triangle is not only likely to remember the mathematics behind them, but the social and emotional feeling of discovery and sharing it with classmates and teachers. These feelings stay with students and shape their values and perceptions of school and education. Likewise, I will not remember preparing my kids for a STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) test, but I will never forget the look on their faces when they discover they can fit the squares of the two legs of a right triangle inside the square of its hypotenuse!
Q: How do you measure academic progress?
A: I measure academic progress by being with my students every day and observing their growth throughout the year. I do this through quizzes, tests and projects. I believe there are as many ways to measure academic progress as a teacher can think of.
Q: How do you help a student struggling academically or socially?
A: When a student is struggling academically or socially, I will do an individual check-in with them. If that is not effective, I will contact their parent or guardian. If that is not effective, I will reach out to the wraparound specialist and/or counselor at school.
Q: Can you share an example of a student who was struggling? What did they struggle with? What was their emotional state during it? How were they helped? And what happened after help was provided to them?
A: Every day! I think it is good when students struggle. It means they are thinking. My students struggle with the majority of concepts and skills necessary for algebra. Many of them are uncomfortable when they struggle. They give up quickly. I believe this is because much of their math education has consisted of procedures, and they have been conditioned to work quickly towards the "right answer." I help them by giving them an analogy of riding a bike. I ask them how they learned to ride a bike. Did they use training wheels? Did someone hold the bike seat up for them? How did they finally learn how to ride a bike by themselves? At some point, they had to struggle and even feel scared. But through time and struggle, they have a skill that can open doors for them. Analogies like this usually make students feel more at ease. Then I can work at showing them another way or method to understand an abstract concept or skill.
Q: What kinds of questions do you suggest parents ask their children on a daily basis about their classes?
A: I suggest parents ask their children about their grades and assignments in class. This can help identify challenges students face in classes. Then the student and/or parent may feel more comfortable reaching out to the teacher and/or support staff at school.
Q: What can parents do at home to support you and their children?
A: I encourage parents to ask questions that connect academic concepts and skills to their child's interests and experiences. For example, when parents are at the grocery store with their children, they can ask their children to figure out how many of an item they should purchase given certain constraints (prices, family members, etc.) They can plan a weekly or monthly budget or allowance. These exercises can help build mental agility and abstraction skills that are important for students learning algebra, which is the foundation of math class.
Q: What can the community do to help your school and its teachers?
A: The community can be engaged in our school activities and endeavors — athletics, extracurriculars, etc. They can also be in touch with teachers to build relationships and community.
Q: What do you think the public should know about your school and its programs?
A: The public should know that Sam Houston has a rich history and many great teachers, students and staff working there every day to be the best versions of themselves and help others do the same.
Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center is a secondary school in the Houston Independent School District that works with students in grades nine through 12.