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Lanette
Von Seggern-Secretary
Lanette
is starting her 19th
year of teaching mathematics – all at Pender Public Schools. She
received
her Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics Education from Morningside College, Sioux City, IA.
Lanette currently teaches Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus,
Calculus, and Psychology. She also coaches the boys’ and girls’
golf
teams. Lanette is currently a member of the Elkhorn District
Board of the
NSEA.
I
feel that every student can use and understand mathematical
concepts.
Some students may have to go back over the material more than
once.
However, there is a sense of pride in knowing that the final product is
well
done and represents the student’s true ability. My job is to
facilitate
the learning environment to provide the opportunity for students to
create that
final product. I need to remain current on new practices,
procedures, and
technology that will aid in the development of my students. The
members
of NATM represent a multitude of experience and knowledge. I hope
to
learn more from the vast supply of experts in our field by taking a
more active
role in the association.
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Tami Worner-1st Vice President
Tami Worner
is starting her tenth year in
the Wayne State College Mathematics Department. She did her
undergraduate work at ConcordiaCollege in Moorhead,
Minnesota and her graduate
work at Purdue
University.
Tami is very active in the graduate program at Wayne State,
teaching several courses to secondary teachers working on their
masters. In addition, she teaches all levels of mathematics,
including statistics and math for elementary education. Tami has
been on the NATM board for the last four years as the college
mathematics representative.
As a
teacher, I feel I have two main
jobs. The first is to create an environment where students can
feel safe to be curious and learn. The second is to show my
students my love for mathematics as I teach. I have enjoyed my
time on the NATM board as it has allowed me to meet several elementary
and secondary teachers and learn what their needs are and help them
meet those needs.
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Kristin
Pfabe-2nd Vice President
I am in my eighth year of
teaching mathematics at Nebraska
Wesleyan University.
At Wesleyan, I enjoy teaching a wide variety of mathematics courses. I have degrees in Mathematics and Spanish from Concordia College
in Moorhead, MN, and received teaching
endorsements in
these areas. Prior to attending
graduate school, I taught mathematics and Spanish at Pius X High School
in Lincoln
for one
year. My graduate studies were done at
UNL, where I had the opportunity to teach a wide spectrum of courses,
including
Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers.
In
the last three years, it has been a privilege for me to
teach in the Math in the Middle Program through UNL.
Through this program, I have met many exceptional
mathematics teachers, and learned from them what happens in mathematics
classrooms around the state. It is my
strong conviction that the stronger the mathematical background of a
teacher,
the more effective he or she can be in explaining concepts and making
mathematics
come alive for students.
I have organized several Math Nights for Elliott
Elementary School
in Lincoln, NE. These
are fun-filled evenings with mathematical
entertainment and
activities. This is an important
opportunity for children and their parents to explore new ideas in
mathematics
and to appreciate mathematical challenges instead of rejecting them
because
they are hard.
I am currently a member of the Mathematical Association of
America and of NATM.
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Erin
Hamilton-Membership Chairman
Erin loves
teaching.
Entering college, she knew that she wanted to teach. The question
was what to teach. She
did her undergraduate
work at University
of Nebraska. She explored every area in
education and high school math felt very natural to her. She
enjoys the different aspects and levels
of math. She worked for three years at
ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. At TRHS,
she taught Algebra 1 Part 1 and
Algebra 2. Currently, she teaches at
Friend High School in Friend, Nebraska.
At FHS, she teaches Calculus, Advanced Algebra, Trig/Pre-Calculus,
Algebra 2, Geometry, and Applied Math 2.
She is also in charge of the cheerleaders and drill team, and runs the
student and staff member of the month program.
Erin is married and has three children, Connor 3, Luke 2, Anna 3
months.
I
love the challenge of teaching math. I
feel that all students should be given the
opportunity to learn mathematics. Therefore, we as teachers must
accommodate to the
individual student’s
needs. Challenging the advanced students
in a Calculus class is just as important as teaching the basics with
the
students in Applied Math. My job is to
get students excited about math, and I believe that the first thing
that must
be done is to provide a non-threatening learning environment.
Students cannot learn if they are scared of
the material or have it in their head that they are “not a math
person”.
I believe everyone is capable of learning
math. Our students will benefit if we as
educators continue educating ourselves. I am excited to have a
more active role in NATM, so
I can continue my
growth in education.
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Terri Glesinger-Region 2 Representative
After receiving my Mathematics Education Degree from
UNL in 1987, I began teaching grades 7-12 math in Spalding,
Nebraska. I had very small class sizes and was able to
personalize the content to fit
the needs of the
individual students. I increased my
mathematical knowledge by participating in Woodrow Wilson Institutes,
T^3 Conferences,
Nebraska Mathematics Curriculum Project, Dana College Summer Camps,
NATM
and NCTM Conferences. I received grants from USWEST Widening
Our World, Toyota
Tapestry and other local sources to gain more training and resources
for
my classroom. In 2003, I joined the math department at
Kearney High
School. The support of the outstanding staff at Kearney High
helped me in my
transition to the large student population. I am currently
teaching Algebra I & II and advanced math. I am
participating in the
Nebraska Mathematics Professional
Development Series in Algebra (06-07) and Geometry
(07-08). I am very excited about some of the new ideas such
as L to J, Angel and PLC's that I have been learning about
in the last
year. I believe I can always learn and
improve my teaching. I am blessed with 3
children, Joe (20), Kelly (18) and
Taylor (12).
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Chad
Larson-Region
1
Representative
My
name is Chad Larson and I
live in Scottsbluff, Nebraska
where I teach 6th grade math and social studies at Bluffs Middle School.
Growing up I had no intention to be a
teacher, let alone a math teacher, the reason being…..I simply did not
like
mathematics. 7th grade was
when my downfall started; I had a teacher who could not convey the math
lessons
to the students. I went from having A’s
& B’s to D’s & D minuses. Each
year after 7th grade I felt as if I was getting weaker and
weaker in
my math classes. I was a hard worker but
the material was just not getting through to me. In
addition I had some less than stellar
teachers who liked math their way, or no way at all.
Flash forward to
college. I eventually found someone who
could convey mathematics to me in a way that made sense.
And to my surprise this person would show me
multiply ways to get the same results to the problems.
This person eventually became my wife, and is
an outstanding teacher herself. This
experience helped to form my philosophy on mathematics.
I truly appreciate
mathematics, having seen it from both sides; as a struggling learner,
and now
as someone who teaches the subject matter. Math
does not have to be hard, it’s all in the
presentation and finding
the method that best fits the student. The
answer is not the end all is all in mathematics. The
process, and understanding of the
process, is just as important. I want my
students to become problem solvers, and if that means they take
different
routes to get to the same result, then that’s fine with me.
I
have just recently
finished the most challenging academic endeavor of my life, and that
was
graduating from UNL’s Math in the Middle graduate program with a
Masters in
mathematics. Not bad for someone who
used to cringe at the site of a math problem.
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Our thanks to the other
candidates. It was indeed a difficult decision
when voting for the candidates. We thank you for your willingness
to
place your name in nomination. We hope you will continue to be
willing
to serve and consider accepting a nomination again. Its this
willingness of so many to serve that make NATM the fine organization it
is.
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