2007-2008 SFDS Annual Report - San Francisco Day School

Evelyn Manies joined the Day School community in 1986 as
our first upper school math teacher.
What were your first impressions of the Day School?
When I first came to the Day School there were very few
of us in the upper school. We didn’t even have an eighth
grade, but there was a good feeling of collegiality and a
very supportive community. One of the ways the School
supported me was helping me get the mentorship I needed
as a new teacher. There was no one here to be my mentor
because the only person who had taught math in the upper
school was a science teacher, so the School paid for me to
go to Nueva School and work with a teacher there. Every
Monday afternoon, I would observe her classes and spend
an hour working on my planning with her. This process was
incredibly helpful.
What is your approach to teaching math?
I want students to understand things, which often means
starting with concrete examples and moving to the abstract.
I don’t want just rote memorization. Instead, I want them
to see all the beautiful patterns in math and to use those
patterns to help with their work. I believe in the power of
using manipulatives and that student exploration leads to
understanding.
What are your goals for our students?
I would like for students to feel as though they can succeed
in math if they are willing to put in the effort. I want them to
see that doing math is enjoyable. A lot of adults really didn’t
like math. When I tell them I’m a math teacher, they seem to
step away a little bit. But our students don’t do that, which I
think is great.
How is math taught differently now?
I don’t remember being taught math in a way that made me
understand it. Instead, I was asked to memorize how to do
things which is very easy to forget. We had the same kinds
of problems over and over rather than interesting problems
that really make you think. The first time I saw an algebra
problem solved with manipulatives, I was blown away. I
could really see why (x+1)(x+2)=x 2 +3x+2. It is incredibly
empowering to see why things are true visually, rather than
just taking the facts on faith.
What is it about SFDS that has kept you engaged?
I think the idealism and conscientiousness of the teachers,
staff, and administration has kept me engaged. Also, as
a teacher you are constantly learning and I really enjoy
learning - especially here where we are always encouraged
to get professional development and to learn new ways to
teach students with varying learning styles. There’s just a
good feeling – I don’t know how else to say it.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud when students come back after leaving
the Day School and say, “Thank you so much; I really felt
prepared when I went to high school.”
How and why did you become a math teacher?
Before teaching, I had been doing medical research for
a number of years and I was ready for a change. When I
was in college, teaching had really attracted me. Math
was the first thing that really grabbed me (I still do math
puzzles for entertainment) so I began helping out at my
children’s school once a week teaching math. I started
going to workshops and gradually became more and more
interested in teaching full time. They say many people will
change careers five times, but I plan to keep teaching. This
profession feels like the perfect thing for me.
What were you like in eighth grade as a math student?
In elementary school I never did well in math. It turned
out that I needed glasses. I had been copying things down
from the board wrong which led to the wrong answers. As
soon as I got glasses, in sixth grade, I became a good math
student. But it wasn’t until my eighth grade math teacher,
Mr. Kapner, said, “Miss Friedman, you have a very good mind
for math,” that I realized it was something I had a talent for.
Looking forward, what are you excited about?
I’m doing a lot of new things this year. I’m working with
small groups of fifth graders on multiplication and division,
I’m assisting Jeff Turner on a new unit on decimals, and
Kate Philpott and I are doing a lot of work reviewing the
School’s math curriculum to ensure that it is sequenced
appropriately. I love the fact that I continue to have new
opportunities to grow and to learn.
Faculty Profile
Evelyn Manies
SAN FRANCISCO DAY SCHOOL 22