About Mrs. Rinkenberger
I graduated from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota with a B.A. in Mathematics with middle and secondary teaching licensure. Over the past 12 years, I have lived in Alaska, Minnesota, Amsterdam, and now Georgia. I have taught in several different schools along the way and at several different levels. I took 5 years off of teaching to have my children and live in a foreign country. I currently live in Peachtree City, GA and teach at Trinity Christian School. This year, my course load includes Pre-Calculus, Calculus, AP Calculus and Physics. I am in the process of pursuing a Masters of Education in Mathematics Education at Georgia State University.
Philosophy of Education
My philosophy of education hinges on my belief that I am educating and teaching the future of my country and my community. I believe that I am investing in the future leaders and community contributors that will shape where this country goes. I want to use my classroom to spark a love of learning in my students and a desire for them to do their best, work hard, and become productive citizens. I have mostly taught mathematics courses in my career and I know that for a majority of my students, they will leave my classroom and someday not remember the math that they learned. I know that if I asked students from 10 years ago to factor a complex quadratic equation, they would have trouble as they aren't using that level of math in their daily lives. However, I would hope that they learned how to work hard, how to study, and how to learn something knew. I hope that they have learned problem solving skills and how to apply them to life. I hope they have learned how to meet deadlines, demonstrate original thought, show an ability to follow through on work, and make inquiries that lead to learning. These are the skills I want to teach through my subject so that students I meet in the future know that they learned more than just a math equation in my class.
I am passionate about math. I enjoy the subject and I enjoy teaching it. It is my philosophy that a teacher who enjoys their subject material will strive to pass that love on and make more engaging lessons. I believe that lessons should spark a student's interest as much as possible and allow them to push the boundaries of their learning. I believe that student centered learning will stick with students longer and better than teacher directed lessons. I strive to create the kinds of lessons that allow me to teach passionately my subject and for students to learn both the subject and the life skills necessary to become productive members of society.
I am passionate about math. I enjoy the subject and I enjoy teaching it. It is my philosophy that a teacher who enjoys their subject material will strive to pass that love on and make more engaging lessons. I believe that lessons should spark a student's interest as much as possible and allow them to push the boundaries of their learning. I believe that student centered learning will stick with students longer and better than teacher directed lessons. I strive to create the kinds of lessons that allow me to teach passionately my subject and for students to learn both the subject and the life skills necessary to become productive members of society.
Professional Goals and 3 Year Plan
My first goal within the next year and beyond: I want to improve my use of technology in the classroom, especially at the higher levels of math (Pre-calculus and Calculus), to create a more rounded math learner. I feel as though I am sending students off to college math classes without a solid technology base in upper level math. I would like to incorporate more technology than merely the graphing calculator. As a result of what I am learning in my masters program, I would like to continually add technology components in my lessons throughout the next year (and beyond).
My second goal for the next year or two: I want to collaborate more with new and seasoned teachers to come up with different ways to deliver the content. In the small school environment that I work in, there are three math teachers. One has been teaching for many years, one is just starting and I have been teaching for seven years. I would like to bring more dialogue and collaboration to our group. I would like to be able to lead the discussion about “how” we are teaching our students math. I would like to be a leader in pushing us to develop the best ways to teach our subject. I would like to work on developing a Peer Mentoring Program for the teachers in my school. This would be something I would aim to implement informally next year and formalize more in the years to come.
My third goal for the next three years: I have always wanted to be in a leadership role in a school without being taken out of the classroom. I want to help my school develop a strong math curriculum across the grade levels and to be a leader within my department. It is my goal to be current in my pedagogy and my understanding of math curriculum, so that I can mentor other teachers and be a positive influence on my school’s math department. I was recently named as our math department chair and I want to continue to push our department to be better every year. Over the next 3 years, I'd like to develop a plan for our department including curriculum review and cohesion.
My fourth goal in two years: I would like to complete my master's program by the end of 2014.
My second goal for the next year or two: I want to collaborate more with new and seasoned teachers to come up with different ways to deliver the content. In the small school environment that I work in, there are three math teachers. One has been teaching for many years, one is just starting and I have been teaching for seven years. I would like to bring more dialogue and collaboration to our group. I would like to be able to lead the discussion about “how” we are teaching our students math. I would like to be a leader in pushing us to develop the best ways to teach our subject. I would like to work on developing a Peer Mentoring Program for the teachers in my school. This would be something I would aim to implement informally next year and formalize more in the years to come.
My third goal for the next three years: I have always wanted to be in a leadership role in a school without being taken out of the classroom. I want to help my school develop a strong math curriculum across the grade levels and to be a leader within my department. It is my goal to be current in my pedagogy and my understanding of math curriculum, so that I can mentor other teachers and be a positive influence on my school’s math department. I was recently named as our math department chair and I want to continue to push our department to be better every year. Over the next 3 years, I'd like to develop a plan for our department including curriculum review and cohesion.
My fourth goal in two years: I would like to complete my master's program by the end of 2014.
Resume
resume.docx | |
File Size: | 102 kb |
File Type: | docx |