It all started with my personal experience with my Mom. She was a middle school teacher. As a child I grew up watching her teach with passion and as I moved through high school I would often assist my Mom during her classes monitoring and assisting her students who were struggling in Math. This was my inspiration to take up a Bachelor’s degree in teaching in 1985 after I graduated with a Major in Mathematics.
I am a teacher from India. As like any other teacher I taught diligently for 20 years, in the city of Chennai. Through the course of which I had upgraded myself with a Master’s degree in Mathematics, and received several merits and cash awards whenever my students scored a 100% on their state test. I served in several positions ranging from a classroom teacher to a State Leader in preparing teachers to successfully train students for state exams.
In 2005 I moved to the US with my husband. I started teaching at Lower Richland High School in RichlandOne school district in South Carolina. Though a veteran teacher, it was a new experience for me. I had to learn the new culture, new place and even of course the new currency since I had to incorporate all of them in my daily lessons in Math to make my lessons interesting and to connect with my students. It was a challenge and nevertheless at times I felt low when I was not able to get what I expected from my teaching.
May 29, 2007 was a turning point in my life. I received a letter from my Superintendent appreciating my services. Attached was also the letter from my student to him. I was happy to receive the letter of appreciation, but what made me stop and think was the very words that said a student who was about to give up on earning her high school diploma changed her mind, pursued her exit exam and came out successful after being in my class. These words went deep down into my heart that it had become my motivation until date to continue teaching. I moved to teach in Georgia and then in 2012 I started teaching in Mississippi. If I can change the life of one child, it will definitely make a big difference through several generations. This has kept me to continue teaching untiringly.
This turning point has not only helped me to enrich and remediate for several of my students, but has helped me to personally grow. Apart from serving as Educational
specialist for Summer Clinic to being a part of MCTM and presenting at conferences it has helped until date to become a National Board certified teacher, Holmes County Central High School Teacher of the year and the Holmes County Consolidated District Teacher of the year.
I could not have served my students for these long years and grown to be a perfect teacher without the help and support of my husband who has always been at the back stage, a silent motivator and ardent supporter of all my endeavors in teaching my students. Being an Interior designer, he always helped me all through the year by making my classroom lively, colorful and inviting which gave me more time to focus on my planning and teaching.
Having served for 36 years as a teacher in all, my longest years of service in the United States has been with Mississippi. My students are loving, obedient and willing to do work for their teacher. My AP students have motivated other students in learning Math the right way, by using the correct mathematical vocabulary. They have campaigned through posters created as to “SAY THIS NOT THAT” stressing on proper mathematical language. During the past 8 years of teaching in Mississippi I have witnessed the growth of the number of students in Advanced Math courses and dual credit Math courses.
Students who have never wanted to step out of their classroom to showcase their Math talent have in recent years been motivated by teachers in our Math Department at Holmes County Central High School and they have been participating in the MSMS math tournament for the recent three years and our ninth graders were placed one among the top 10 schools in the written test.
You will never know when your real call to be a teacher will be ignited until you decide to give it a start by starting as a novice teacher. You may one day be a Turning Point to your student and to yourself.
Rebecca Asha Victor M.Sc., B.Ed., NBCT
Math Department Chairperson
Holmes County Central High School
Holmes County Consolidated School District