Mission Statement: I choose to teach because I am passionate about supporting students as they grow, learn about the world around them, and prepare for the future. I believe that any student with a strong foundation in math and computer science will have successful future beyond the classroom. In my class students strengthen their abilities to problem solve, to read and understand difficult texts, to communicate complex ideas, to work individually and with others, to use and adapt technology to their advantage, to take detailed notes, to create diagrams and other graphical representations, and most importantly to persevere when faced with challenges. The content will be presented in a way that demonstrates its relevance in the lives of the students. Brief History: I grew up in Kenmore, Washington, a town close to Seattle that has great parks and great schools. When I was born, my dad was a general contractor, mainly doing home remodels. My mother was a hair dresser when I was born, and still owns her hair salon, but she now also works as an interior designer. Our house was constantly changing as I grew up, with new additions, rearranging furniture and new paint colors. I was a very excited learner when I was a child and I was very interested in how the world worked. I would always go straight to the non-fiction section of the library and read about whatever I was interested in that week. I was a pretty good student, and I was usually the person my classmates would come to when they had trouble with something. In high school I took many interesting classes that helped shape who I am today. My favorite classes in high school were Calculus, Physics, Spanish, Newspaper, and Photography. I am very grateful that I had teachers and parents who pushed me to always do my best work and never stop learning. I went to college at the University of Washington, in Seattle, where scholarships covered all of my tuition and financial aid covered my living expenses. As a Freshman I had planned on becoming a mechanical engineer, but I began taking a wide variety of different classes as part of my general education requirements and I discovered so many different areas of study. My favorite classes in college were Intro to Engineering, Topics in Bioengineering, Computer Science, Optimization (Math), Film History, Latin American Cinema, Spanish, and Travel Writing. After nearly five years at UW, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, with a Minor in Applied Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature, with a focus on film theory. As I was finishing college, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do when I graduated. When I looked back on my time at UW I noticed that a common theme throughout many of my favorite classes was how math is used to make sense of the world in many different fields. In addition, I knew that I wanted to do something that would have a great positive impact on society. It wasn't much longer until I realized that being a math teacher would be the perfect fit. I applied to Math for America, one of the best teaching fellowships in the nation, and I got in! After moving to Los Angeles, I received more scholarships as I began my graduate classes at University of Southern California. After a year of incredibly demanding assignments, I got my Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I have taught math at John Adams Middle School, Glendale High School, and Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Now that I have been teaching at San Fernando Institute for Applied Media, I truly believe that it is the perfect fit for me! I am excited to incorporate math and computer science into a wide variety of different contexts and demonstrate to students just how powerful the tools of math and computer science can really be! -- Mr. Aaron Schilling |
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