Each Friday this Fall, we will introduce one of our new Cohort 3 M3T Fellows. This week, let’s meet Michelle Weekley from New Martinsville School!
Michelle Weekley
M3T Noyce Fellow – Cohort 3
Middle School Mathematics Teacher
New Martinsville School
Wetzel County Schools
Twitter: @WVMathMama
Number of years teaching: 19
Other roles & positions: SAT co-coordinator, PBIS committee member, NMS 7/8 Robotics coach
Professional awards, distinctions, and points of pride: Wetzel County teacher of the year nominee (twice), Wetzel County Superintendent’s Leadership Cadre, speaker at WVCTM conference (twice)
Interesting personal facts: Proud mom of three (Donovan, Jayda, and Levi) and wife of an IT guy (Josh) who DJs on the weekends. The Outer Banks area is our favorite vacation spot. We enjoy outdoor activities like camping and fishing as well as rooting for the Mountaineers! We also enjoy visiting historical places and learning new things about our state and country.
Why are you excited to be part of the M3T project?
I am excited to be more intentional on changes in my classroom and using data to decide if those changes were worth it. Being in a school where I am the only 7th grade math teacher, I am also excited about the networking and team of math teachers I can brainstorm and learn with. Overall, I am just super excited about the benefits this project will directly have on my students.
Why do you teach mathematics?
I initially started out in math just because I enjoyed it. I continue to teach mathematics because so many people (students and adults) have a terrible feeling towards math and I like to be the one to turn that around for them. There are so many ways to get a correct answer and when we force students to do it one way, it may not make sense to them. When we allow them to explore and use what they already know, it will make sense and then we can work on being more efficient if needed.
What are you focused on improving about mathematics teaching?
Part of my focus is always on student confidence in mathematics. I have seen students who are so scared of being wrong or not fast enough, they don’t allow themselves to think. I am trying to give more opportunities for real thinking rather than just copying my thinking in the classroom. I am also passionate about building fellow teachers’ confidence and content knowledge.
Final thoughts
I am so humble and excited to be a part of real change in the teaching and learning mathematics in the state of West Virginia. I hope to bring this new excitement to my students so they can each find their math voice without feeling intimidated.
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 stay up-to-date with all of the activity of our network by following us on Twitter, @m3t_wv, and on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/m3twv.
