Ethan Hacker, who graduated from Florida State University last year, is now closing in on his first year of teaching his Geometry Honors class. As his last task of the year, Hacker is preparing his students for the Geometry end-of-course exam on May 15.
“We’ve prepared by completing the [state-approved] review packet,” Hacker said.
He has spent the whole year getting his students ready.
“I’ve tried to prepare everyone by making the tests and assignments more difficult than you might see on the EOC, so that the EOC is as easy as possible,” Hacker said.
Although Hacker is a first-year teacher, freshman Elliana Parker said he has done a good job teaching the course and feels ready for the EOC.
“I enjoyed his teaching style,” Parker said. “We had notes to fill in, and it allowed us to get good practice with each lesson in, along with the homework.”
Hacker said he tries to keep his students engaged by taking occasional breaks to teach about important figures in math.
“I find it very entertaining when he starts to talk about historical figures in math like Alan Turing or Blaise Pascal,” freshman Emma Brown said. “It gives us a nice break from the lessons, and it can be very interesting.”
After his first year of teaching, Hacker said he plans to improve his technique in the years going forward to prepare his students even more for the end-of-course exam.
“We’re definitely starting our review earlier next year,” Hacker said. “I also plan on using more assessments like quizzes throughout the year to help monitor students’ progress. More learning opportunities will be created, and I’m going to try to vary the type of instruction.”
By Ava Duran