Molly Finnegan has been teaching middle school mathematics at Twin Peaks Classical Academy for nine years. She has been an integral part of developing the classical culture at Twin Peaks and supporting students through MTSS in mathematics and English. Let's get to know her better:
What do I love about teaching math at Twin Peaks Classical Academy?
I love teaching at Twin Peaks Classical Academy because my classes tackle problems using logic and reason to discern patterns and properties within mathematics. We go beyond what the answer is to learn how to get the answer, why the answer is true, and where that concept is within the scope of math. This striving to deepen our understanding of mathematics, as teacher and students, journeying together, places us in a position of tension to learn more and grow. We become better people, people of character, as we engage with mathematical thought - "posing problems, making conjectures and discoveries, being wrong, being creatively frustrated, having inspiration, cobbling together explanations and proofs" (Lockhart). We strive to exemplify great character as our acquired knowledge in mathematics grows so we can balance our lives through the lens of truth, goodness, and beauty.
When did I know I wanted to be a teacher?
I have always wanted to be a teacher. Ever since I can remember, my dream has been to teach. I would play school with my younger brother as a child; teaching him everything I learned in my class when I came home from school. As I grew up, what I wanted to teach changed from elementary students to specializing as a math teacher with middle or high school students. After completing my practicums and student teaching, I knew I wanted to teach middle school students. I am one of those teachers who loves teaching middle school including all of the challenges, awkward moments, and joys that come along with it. I can truly say that I am doing my dream job at Twin Peaks, teaching math to middle school students.
How do I see the values of classical education displayed at Twin Peaks Classical Academy?
Classical education includes the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty in all content areas as students move through the Trivium. We help students seek truth through the study of Great Works. Whether a novel or a formula, a painting or a speech, these Great Works “enables students to perceive, articulate, and comprehend reason” (Hicks) while developing a spirit of inquiry in the students. Goodness is sought through dialectical conversations. While partaking in these intentional conversations students and teachers traverse through perplexity and shed falsehoods in order to reach the Ideal Type. Finally, beauty is sought by acting in accordance with the knowledge gained in class. By unifying thoughts with actions, the Twin Peaks community grows in virtue and develops a desire to share it with others.
Who was your favorite teacher?
This is an impossible question to answer. Each of my teachers made an impact on my life and shaped me to be the person and teacher I am today. While I can’t list all of my teachers, Ms. Gates, my 3rd grade teacher, taught me cursive. From job contracts to my ceramic art to hall passes, my signature is a product of her class. Mr. Bolster’s “antenna multiplication” in 4th grade began a love for challenging math problems and built a foundation for the distributive property that I now teach to my students. My ability to take notes and quickly decipher important information in a lesson is owed to Mr. Vukelich, my 7th grade science teacher. In 8th grade, Ms. Roybal explained the art of research and revealed the power of words. The need for balance in life between analytics and art came from Ms. McLees in the many high school ceramics classes I took with her. Ms. Strock’s love for American history and her creative ways of remembering information (ask me about why 10-dollar bills drive school buses) sparked a lifelong interest in history. These teachers and the many others unnamed, also taught me what it means to be a person of character; that sympathy, celebration, and care for others make more of an impact than homework assignments and tests. To paraphrase Newton, I am the teacher I am today because I stand on the shoulders of those who taught me.