Joanna Stevens (@MrsStevensMath) | #BowTieTuesday

Published by Bow Tie Joe on November 13, 2018

Introduction: This week’s #BowTieTuesday Educator Spotlight goes to my country loving, Desmos Fellow colleague. Struggling to recall exactly how we connected at the Desmos Fellowship, I’ve been enjoying her contributions on the Twitter and figured I’d share her contributions with my personal learning network. The Edu-Rock Star that I’ll be recognizing this week is none other than Mrs. Joanna Stevens (@MrsStevensMath), a high school mathematics teacher at Lincoln County High School in Stanford, KY.

Educational Pursuit: Joanna is rapidly approaching the one decade mark in the world of education having obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Kentucky. She recalls her memories of tutoring throughout high school and college and realizing the enjoyment she found in helping students understand mathematics. These were typically students who deemed themselves “bad at math” and were surprised they were able to experience any level of success in the subject. She wanted to be a math teacher because she wanted to change the stereotype surrounding mathematics – there’s no such thing as a “math person”. We are all “math people” and capable of doing mathematics. This passion is what led to her entering the classroom in order to change the social stigma that has come to encapsulate mathematics.

Most Memorable Moment: A #BowTieTuesday first, Joanna has two unique situations she shared with me.

Something her students did: On Pi day, some of her precalculus students coordinated to wear football and basketball jerseys to represent the digits of pi;

Something she did: Jo ended the school year this year with a toast to their “bottle of dreams” (a water bottle with a cute label). Before they left her class, she wanted to make sure every student knew her pride, appreciation, and hope for each of them personally.

Personal Learning Interests: Currently, Jo is focused on embracing the role as “lead learner” in her classroom. She wants her students to recognize that she is learning every day as well. She would like to generate more “student talk” and less “teacher talk” inside of her classroom while promoting collaboration, perseverance, and problem-solving skills.

The Fun Stuff

Joanna’s go-to Karaoke Song: Tale as Old as Time from the classic Disney film, Beauty and the Beast

Joanna’s Inside Scoop: Joanna has cuddled a koala in Australia, hugged an alpaca in Peru, swam with manta rays in Hawaii, and spotted a sloth in Costa Rica.

Thank you, Joanna, for your heartfelt efforts to improve education each and every day you step foot inside a classroom. I am grateful to have met you and whatever conversation that had sparked us connecting which triggered the positive impact you have had on my PLN! I truly appreciate all that you do to keep moving education forward.