|
|
 |
|
|
|
Home > Features > Yvette Beck: A Calculus Family
|
Yvette Beck: A Calculus Family
|
|
| |
by Susan , Kornstein
Director, Content Development
The College Board
|
|
| | More Than Just Math
Calculus can be more than symbols, graphs, and challenging problems. For some students, the subject opens new doors to the understanding of mathematical relationships. The best calculus teachers help students by demonstrating algebraic, graphical, and numeric relationships in the problems they do. Some teachers also use the calculus classroom as an opportunity to build a "family" of support. To her students, Yvette Beck's success as an AP Calculus teacher is due to more than her own mastery of the theory and applications of calculus or to excellent lesson plans. Instead they credit the devotion she feels to her students and the confidence she has in their ability.
Yvette started teaching at Herbert Lehman High School on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx in 1973; it was her very first teaching job. When she was given the chance to teach AP Calculus in 1988, she thought it was odd that the course was called AP because no one in the school had ever taken the Advanced Placement Exam. Other teachers told Yvette that none of the students would be able to do well on the exam. But Yvette thought differently and agreed to teach AP Calculus, "on the condition that the students have the opportunity to take the exam." She set the requirement for admission to the class as "the desire and willingness to work hard."
Since 1988, Yvette and her students have been working hard. Starting with 14 students in 1988, Yvette has quadrupled the number enrolled in AP Calculus. Walter Chadwick III, the assistant principal at Lehman, says, "This expansion is indicative of Mrs. Beck's commitment to greater inclusion of underrepresented minority students." The student population at Lehman is diverse, with 25 percent white, 16 percent black, 48 percent Hispanic, and 10 percent Asian or other. Although she requires that each student complete the Sequential III course before taking AP Calculus, students bring a wide range of mathematical skills to her class. Some students have not passed all three Mathematics Regents examinations. Half of her students have had little graphing calculator experience, and only one-third own their own graphing calculator. Early in the school year, Yvette's students do fund-raising to buy their own calculators. Pride in the ownership of the calculator brings pride in being part of Yvette's class.
Fostering the "Calculus Family"
Yvette creates what she calls her "calculus family." She explains on the first day of school that in order for the class to be successful, students must take care of each other and make sure they help each other succeed. The class makes a phone list, with Yvette's telephone number at the top of the page. Students call each other and Yvette for help. Sometimes, several students set up a conference call with their teacher. They have a special room in the school where they meet to discuss their calculus questions. In addition, Yvette meets many students at 7 a.m. each morning, before school begins.
Jason Leon, now a junior at Yale, remembers how he did not want to disappoint Mrs. Beck. Eager to be successful, on the first day of his calculus class he sat in the front row, although he never had sat in the front in any of his classes. "She worked as hard or harder than we did. We felt an obligation to give 110 percent. We didn't want to disappoint her. I owe a lot to her."
Petal Balram, a 2001 Lehman graduate and the class valedictorian, is particularly proud of her 5 score on the AP Calculus Exam. "Never in my life could I have dreamed of getting a 5 on the AP Exam, especially in calculus. Calculus is supposed to be so hard. But Mrs. Beck made it easy. We all got really close and helped each other -- like a family." Petal spent every morning from 7 a.m. until school started, from September until May, going over all her questions from the previous day with Mrs. Beck. "She answered 50 to 100 questions every day. She inspired me to work harder."
In addition to helping her students learn to appreciate the power of calculus and prepare for the AP Exam, Yvette plays another important role for her students. For Fitz Agard, now a junior studying Engineering at Manhattan College, Mrs. Beck was "like a mother." She comforted him and made him focus on his goals. He remembers the "heart-to-heart talks" and her words of advice that helped give him direction. He visits her several times a year to thank her and to talk about his successes in school.
National Recognition
In addition to the high praise of her students and colleagues, Yvette's dedication has earned her national recognition: she was honored with a 2002 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement as the "Teacher of Under-Represented Minority Students" for the Middle States Regional Office.
Yvette's influence extends beyond her own classroom. As a mentor to new AP Calculus teachers, she passes along her energy, expertise, and caring. During the 1997-98 school year, Yvette mentored Christina Rutledge, who is now a teacher at Briarcliff High School in Briarcliff Manor, New York. "I was fortunate enough to work closely with Yvette, and she shared all her hard work and experience. What I learned that year was priceless, and it will carry with me the rest of my teaching experience. My students benefit from Yvette's hard work." Reflecting on Yvette's influence, Walter Chadwick, her assistant principal, says, "A new generation of AP Calculus teachers owe their level of excellence to her guidance and training."
Yvette also has her own calculus family. She lives in Flushing, New York, with her husband Stuart (who teaches BC Calculus at Cardozo High School in Queens) and children Judah, Dania, and Jacob. |
|
|
|
|
|
Course Home Pages