Each Friday during the school year, we will spotlight one of our M3T Fellows. This week, let’s meet Amy Cowgill from Frankfort High School!
Amy Cowgill
M3T Noyce Fellow – Cohort 1
High School Mathematics Teacher
Frankfort High School
Mineral County Schools
Twitter: @clear_as_mud
Number of years teaching: 19
Other roles & positions: Math Department Chair; County Curriculum Chair of Mathematics for Mineral County Schools; Member of NCTM and Executive Board Member of WVCTM
Professional awards, distinctions, and points of pride: State-level PAEMST Finalist in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2021; WVCTM High School Math Teacher of the Year 2016; NBCT 2007 to present; Mineral County Teacher of the Year 2020
Interesting personal facts: My husband and I both teach at FHS; mother of 2 – Morgan (13) and Mason (9); PA Announcer for Friday Night Falcon Football
Why are you excited to be part of the M3T project?
“At first, I was convinced I was not the right person to apply for M3T, because the words ‘master teacher’ are far from where I find myself. As a teacher, it’s important to identify our weaknesses and try to improve upon them. This project is all about improvement!”
Why do you teach mathematics?
“I teach mathematics because I enjoy getting students to realize that they are not bad at math … that they can do math, too! It’s also so empowering to know that I teach a subject that can directly impact a student’s scholarship money, get them into trade schools, etc.”
What are you focused on improving about mathematics teaching?
“The thing that bugs me most about mathematics is what we teach and how out of touch it is with what some of our students need! I also like to improve student mindset about mathematics, which requires a classroom culture of patience and perseverance!”
Final thoughts:
“As I gain more experience teaching, it becomes obvious that every year is a learning experience—one year is never like the next. Surrounding myself with the teachers of M3T, learning from them and growing with them as educators, is the best thing professionally that I could do to become the best teacher I can be for my students and all students in West Virginia.”
Spotlight Tweet:
Check in each week on #M3TFellowFriday throughout the school year to meet another M3T Fellow. You can find a listing of all of the M3T Fellows and stay up-to-date with the work of the M3T network at our website, https://m3twv.org. You can also follow us on Twitter, @m3t_wv.
