Kyle Sweeney, AP Calculus AB + BC
With the retirement of Troy Thibedeau, longtime calculus teacher, Shorewood’s calculus students will see a new face in the classroom next school year. Kyle Sweeney, current algebra and geometry teacher, has taken on the role. According to Sweeney, he is excited to put his math skills to use.
“I do have some experience teaching higher level math, not quite calculus yet, but I am looking forward to it,” Sweeney said. “I always thought when I wanted to become a teacher that I would prefer to teach higher level math courses, mainly because I found [them] so interesting.”
According to Sweeney, his preparation to teach AP Calculus is well underway, having shadowed Mr. Thibedeau and put in his own work to get ready for the year.
“When I’m in Mr. Thibedeau’s room, I’m more or less just sitting there, observing,” Sweeney said. “What I’m really trying to do is see how Mr. Thibedeau paces out his lessons, the type of help he’ll provide students versus when he’ll allow them to do the work themselves and figure it out. So it’s trying to get a feel for how a teacher who’s been teaching that class [for so long approaches the class] and how it differs from a lower-level math class.”
The jump students take from algebra and geometry to calculus is evident to Sweeney, which is part of what makes shadowing important for him, as he can decide how to approach AP Calculus in an age-appropriate manner.
“Because of the age group, I would feel that in lower level math courses that I’m much more giving of the extra help or the repeating of directions,” Sweeney said. “The level of maturity or level of personal responsibility that students have when they’re 14 versus 18 is drastically different. I’m trying to understand more of how to approach [calculus] in an age-specific way.”
In addition to shadowing, Sweeney has blocked out his summer to get ready for the school year.
“I will reteach myself all of [calculus], I have a couple of websites and books that I’ll use for that,” Sweeney said. “I’ll be going through the entire curriculum at least once, if not twice, just to make sure that I have it down myself. Most of it I know I can do, it’s just been a minute, so I need to refresh some of those vocab words.”
Furthermore, Sweeney will be doing official preparation through the College Board in order to properly understand how to run an AP course.
“There’s the AP College Board group, and they offer courses throughout the summer,” Sweeney said. “It basically allows AP teachers to learn how the AP grading is different from traditional grading methods, which is more rigorous since it will be replacing a college class. So I’ll be learning how to grade, doing some practice tests, talking about strategies and resources, and [figuring out] how to structure things so that it’s a really good experience.”
According to Sweeney, incoming calculus students should stay flexible and understanding of any bumps on the road.
“Of course, it’s my first time teaching [AP Calculus],”Sweeney said. “So it’s going to be a learning curve for all of us in that sense. Things will have to be a little flexible, at least in the first year compared to consecutive years after that.”
Above all, Sweeney is excited for the possibility of new connections with students through calculus.
“I’m really excited and interested in finding new ways of teaching calculus in general, but also finding different ways of interacting with the students,” Sweeney said. “I hope that students will also be excited about having somebody that’s also going to try to be there with them on their level, in a way, since we’re all going to be doing a ton of first time [work] together.”
Traci Murphy, AP Biology
Science teacher Traci Murphy will be taking on all sections of AP Biology in the coming school year, following the resignation of current AP Biology teacher Kelsey Burke. Additionally, a new teacher will join the science department to teach regular Biology along with other courses.
Murphy will continue teaching some sections of freshman-level Biology herself, along with the elective Anatomy and Physiology, with specific details to be determined later. Although Murphy considers her teaching style to be more relaxed, she expects the curriculum to remain the same throughout the teacher switch. Additionally, Murphy plans on holding AP Biology students to high standards due to the fact that they have self-selected a difficult science course.
“[I] try to have high levels of academics, rigor, and accountability, even though my personality is relaxed from the classroom management perspective,” Murphy said. “I will have high expectations, especially for the AP Biology students, because it is a college-level course and it should be taught at a college level, not just as an extension of Biology.”
Murphy has taught a number of science courses in her positions across multiple school districts, including chemistry, conceptual physics, and horticulture. Likewise, next school year will not be the first time Murphy teaches AP Biology, as it was one of her first jobs out of college. However, she has not taught the course since.
“It’ll be my first time in a long time having taught [AP Biology], but I’m very comfortable and confident that I am capable of teaching it,” Murphy said. “I’m [also] excited that I’ll be taking the AP Biology Summer Institute course this June that will help me prepare for any changes that have happened to the curriculum in the meantime.”
The summer institute will not only inform Murphy of possible curriculum changes, but also of AP course expectations and standards.
“What they do [at the summer institute] is talk about the particulars of expectations, how to grade the tests, and give [us] sample labs, which is kind of cool because it creates an opportunity to find things to do in a lab setting, and they give you sample tests so you know what’s expected of the students,” Murphy said. “So you’re really well prepared from the student perspective, which in my opinion makes you more prepared as a teacher when you know what the students are going through and what they’re expecting.”
According to Murphy, she is excited to teach AP Biology to students she worked with as freshmen.
“What excites me the most is that I have been here for five years, and so next year, I am excited to get to teach [the students I taught biology to as freshmen] again on the other side of their high school career,” Murphy said. “Development and growth happens both emotionally, mentally, and physically between those years.”