Are you ready to vote?

There are 36 days until the election - Are you ready to vote?

If you live in Maryland, the voter registration deadline is October 13 and you must request your mail-in ballot by October 20. Want a quick and easy resource to register, request a mail-in ballot, and get helpful voting reminders all in one place? Check out umd.turbovote.org! 

Maryland ballots are live! Check out the Maryland Ballot information here: https://www.ballotready.org/md.

Make a plan to vote! Find Early Voting, Election Day, and Ballot Box drop-off locations below:

Prince George's County

Montgomery County

Howard CountyAnne

Arundel County

Don't see your county? Check out this twitter thread with links to all of the MD maps.

Follow @Terpsvote on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for important voting information and reminders! 

- via Alison Barlow and Alexandra Marquez @TerpsVote

Terrapin Teachers Stands Against Racial Injustice

“Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of color to deal with it. It’s up to all of us – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets.”

— Michelle Obama

For resources, visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Congratulations to Our Spring 2019 Graduates

TT hosted a dinner to celebrate our class of 2019.  As part of the dinner, the TT staff started a conversation to elicit ideas from our graduates regarding ways in which the program can stay in touch with graduates and provide support during their induction year.  As the evening progressed, students shared their plans for the upcoming academic year. 

Listed below are the job placements our graduates are beginning this fall:

• Vanessa Wagener (math) - Rock Ridge High School, Loudoun County Public School, Ashburn, VA

• Pamela Taretacan (biology) - Francis Scott Key Middle School, Montgomery County Public School, Silver Spring, MD

• Neha Soni (math) - Rock Ridge High School, Loudoun County Public School, Ashburn, VA

• Mark Wilson (math) - Springbrook High School, Montgomery County Public School, Silver Spring, MD

• Emily Murdock (math) - Paint Branch High School, Montgomery County Public School, Burtonsville, MD

• Jon Mevs (computer science) - Washington Leadership Academy, XQ Super School, Washington, D.C.

• Andrea Dai (chemistry) - Robert Frost Middle School, Montgomery County Public School, Rockville, MD

• Joey Prettyman (biology) - Walt Whitman High School, Montgomery County Public School, Bethesda, MD

• Andy Miller (math) - Tuscarora High School, Loudoun County Public School, Leesburg, VA

• Justin Pedro (biology) - Northwest High School, Montgomery County Public School, Germantown, MD

• Amman Haque (biology) - George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore, MD

• Monique Scott-Hayes (biology) - Richard Montgomery High School, Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

2019 Maryland Math and Science Institute (MMSI)

Terrapin Teachers co-hosted the 2019 Maryland Mathematics and Science Institute (MMSI) from June 24-27, 2019. The institute was in collaboration with faculty from the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS).  Teachers from local schools in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County participated in lectures and discussions with UMD faculty. The morning sessions focused on cutting-edge research. The afternoon sessions were facilitated by TT Master Teachers.  Activities concentrated on pedagogical strategies that could be implemented in their classrooms.

Terrapin Teachers would like to give a very special thank you to all of the CMNS faculty who presented during the four-day workshop.  Listed below are the names of each speaker.

Dr. Wiseley Wong, Department of Mathematics, “Walks, Colors, and Pigeons: An Introduction to Graph Theory”

Dr. Larry Washington, Department of Mathematics, “How to Share Secrets: An Introduction to Cryptography”

Dr. Frances Gulick, Department of Mathematics, “Geometry on the Sphere”

Dr. Denny Gulick, Department of Mathematics, “A Little Chaos Goes a Long Way!”

Dr. Wolfgang Losert, Department of Physics, “Cell Dynamics”

Dr. Gerald Wilkinson, Department of Biology, “10 Amazing Facts About Bats”

Dr. Cerruti Hooks, Department of Entomology, : Deploying Strategies and Tactics Used in a Sporting Event to Manage Insect Pests”

Dr. Arthur N. Popper, Department of Biology  “Wind Farms, Oil Exploration, Shipping, and Fishes”

Dr. Vincent Lee, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics, “Signaling Nucleotides and Its Intersection with RNA Degradation”

Dr. Kan Cao, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics, “The Science Behind Skin Aging”

Dr. Tim Canty, Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science,  "Weather and Climate: Science or Hoax"

Dr. Ross Salawitch, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Relating Greenhouse Gas Emission to Global Warming”

Dr. Michael Raupp, Department of Entomology, “What a Warming World Means to Plants, Insects, and Their Natural Enemies”

2019 UTeach Conference

A large contingent from TT attended the 2019 UTeach Conference held in Austin, Texas from May 21-23.  Representatives from 46 UTeach programs around the country met and shared ideas and lessons learned from implementing the UTeach model.

Terrapin Teachers staff and Master Teachers led two sessions at the conference: 

• “Engaging Community Colleges in Recruitment of Secondary STEM Teachers Through Step 1”, Dr. Anisha Campbell, Dr. Anita Sanyal, Sarah Henson-Darko, Steven Karig, and Kayla White

• “A Trajectory of Equity and Social Justice”, Sarah Henson-Darko, Dr. Anita Sanyal, Steven Karig, and Kayla White

Amman Haque represented the TT undergraduates during the student poster session. His poster was entitled, “Developing Profiles of Middle-Level Mathematics Teacher Candidates’ Responsiveness with Avatars: An Approximation of Practice.”

(photo credit: Jahaira Dixon)

Maryland Day 2019

TT participated in the university-sponsored Maryland Day event held on April 27, 2019.  Our undergraduates shared “real-life” experiences about teaching with parents and prospective UMD students.  The day was filled with fun and laughter. There was a line of students and parents wrapped around the tent, all of whom were interested in winning Terrapin Teachers swag. In order to spin the “Wheel of Goodies,” participants had to answer math or science-based questions correctly.  The level of difficulty increased based on the participants' level of education. Winners walked away with Terrapin Teachers swag that included t-shirts, water bottles, notebooks, stickers, pens, and drawstring bags. 

Congratulations to Our Fall 2018 Graduate Jennifer Hill

(photo credit: Jennifer Hill)

Congratulations are in order for Jennifer Hill, a Secondary Mathematics Education major. Jennifer transferred to UMD from Montgomery College during her junior year. Starting spring 2019, she will teach algebra at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, MD.  

“My overall college experience has been a challenge. Being a double major in math and education is no joke. When I was in high school and even at my community college, math came very easy to me, but being here at UMD, it was a huge change. There were times where I doubted my ability to be a math teacher and thought about changing paths. But the Terrapin Teacher classes made me confident in not only being a teacher but a math teacher. I got to meet some amazing people and go through some great experiences in the classroom. I have learned a lot about the kind of teacher I want to be and I appreciate Terrapin Teachers so much for getting me that much closer to becoming a teacher.“

Meet our New Master Teacher

Terrapin Teachers welcomed a new Master Teacher, Dr. Dana Grosser-Clarkson, in fall 2018. Dr. Grosser-Clarkson completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland in 2016.

Dr. Grosser-Clarkson holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education from Western Michigan University, where she also worked with the Core-Plus Mathematics Project. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D. at UMD, Dr. Grosser-Clarkson was an assistant mathematics professor at the University of Charleston and taught high school mathematics in Michigan. Dr. Grosser-Clarkson's current research interests include core-practices, practice-based teacher education, standards-based curricula, algebraic thinking, classroom discourse, and lesson study. With Terrapin Teachers, Dr. Grosser-Clarkson has been teaching several secondary mathematics methods courses and supervising our secondary teaching candidates in their year-long field placements.