In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to explain how teacher excellence informed the creation of MathTrack’s core values. After working in schools for years, we started to identify the sorts of approaches to problem solving and student engagement that brought the best out of everyone. Using our Yeti mascot as a reference for the acronym, we came up with the following four values:
- Yearn for continuous self-improvement and growth
- Enjoy solving problems with integrity
- Treat everyone with respect
- Inspire others with positivity and perseverance
Although we think all teachers can model these values, we have designed our curriculum and teacher education to promote the YETI way. We prioritize growth mindset, “embracing the yet” (we use this whenever someone feels like they will never achieve their goal. We say, “you just haven’t achieved it yet!) when challenges seem insurmountable, and claim “we love mistakes” because we know that perseverance is more important than raw ability.
To recognize the teachers who model YETI values, we will share an example of each value in action.
Yearn for continuous self-improvement and growth
One of our teachers was not naturally skilled in picking up new online resources or utilizing district tools but was committed to practicing and asked for help until she was able to learn. One situation where this was especially impactful was when she needed to start communicating with parents more frequently. Rather than opting out of the district parent communication tool (because it was one more login to remember and system to learn!) she asked her co-teacher to model the login process on multiple occasions until she mastered the skill.
Enjoy solving problems with integrity
This teacher never looked away when his school community was in need. After his school district’s cheerleaders lost all of their equipment in a flood, he fundraised to replace the lost item and hand delivered them.
Treat everyone with respect
One teacher noticed that some students in her remediation class were embarrassed to show how little they knew. She utilized online math games like Kahoot and Booklet where students could continue to practice their math facts while using an alias. Using gamification and offering anonymity allowed the students to lighten up and approach the math with less social stress and more academic joy! Honoring and respecting student needs is paramount to healthy teacher-student relationships.
Inspire others with positivity and perseverance
One of our passionate teachers really embraced the role of mentor and was known for drawing weekly sketches to encourage students to meet their classroom goals. He championed our slogan “embrace the YET” as a way of life rather than exclusive to the classroom. He is also a veteran and on Veteran’s Day he shared about the service of some of the men who lost their lives while living out their values and he used this to inspire his students to follow their hearts and pursue their goals.
If you are an educator reading this, we hope you know that we are inspired daily by your creative problem solving and hope in our students! If you are enrolled in an educational program yourself, we are even more impressed with your ability to balance your dreams with your busy schedule! If you aren’t a teacher, please make sure to let the teachers in your life know how grateful you are for the challenging, yet vital work they are doing in our communities!
