Teacher Spotlight: Brittany Frey
Teacher Name: Brittany Frey
Office Location: Williamsport Office
Currently teaching: Pre-Algebra
How do you build relationships with your students?
Before each LiveLesson, I allow students to share news or pictures of current things they are doing. The students love this (and so do I!). We cheered on one another through their sports seasons, wished each other luck in competitions, and saw a lot of awesome talents by doing this. I have also become a "DJ" during the LiveLessons. I take song requests to play during warm ups so we heard a lot of different genres and some of our own talented students shared, too. This year, I am starting (and carefully monitoring) a classroom "Me" MessageBoard. My students will be creating their own FaceBook page and I will be posting it to the section MessageBoard so students can use it to also build relationships with one another.
How do you engage your students in the learning experience?
Making the students feel comfortable and appealing to their likes and interests were key to an actively engaged classroom. I found that my students loved our daily math riddles, criminal math investigations, and unit games. All the games were designed to be used in small groups or classes vs classes. This helped to eliminate any anxiety of answering individually in front of the whole class. I also made the students feel more comfortable within LiveLessons by providing them with guided notes and using positive reinforcement. When creating word problems, I would use the students' names or ideas that related to them. For example, "Bob makes $8 per hour mowing lawns. How much did he make in 4 hours?". This gave an opportunity to build relationships, too, because we could have a quick side discussion on our first jobs. Of course, funny poems or pictures always helped to hook the students and engage them into the lesson. Not only were the students more engaged, but I think we all had more fun in math!
When you’re not working, how do you spend your time?
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband (Kyle), my 7 month old daughter (Alivia "Livi" MaeAnn), and 13 year old golden retriever (Kayle). I like being outdoors at our cabin, going to the beach, and family/friend game or movie nights. Recently, I joined CrossFit (It is brutal but I enjoy it!) and a monthly DIY club where we re-create Pinterest finds and socialize with girlfriends. I also volunteer at a local dance studio, teaching ballet and hip-hop to young adults with disabilities. I have had the same dance partner, Katie, for over 15 years!
What might we be surprised to know about you?
I LOVE football! In the fall, I spend most of my time cheering on Penn State and the Dallas Cowboys! This fall we are going to AT&T Stadium where I will get to see my first professional game, stand on the 50 yard line, and meet the players! Livi is going to be a Penn State Cheerleader for her first Halloween... my husband doesn't know it yet, though (He is a Notre Dame fan..eww)!
What are you most excited about this year?
I am really excited to start teaching Pre-Algebra for the first time and create and implement new LiveLessons (my favorite part of teaching)! I am also the 7-12th grade CCA Virtual Dance Ensemble advisor and am very excited to see new performances by our students this year.