In First Person

WRITTEN BY KELLY BARR

Gilmer County Middle School Teacher

I’ve taught seventh-grade mathematics to students aged 12 and 13 for 23 years, mostly in Gilmer County, the smallest school district in West Virginia in terms of student population, with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled in grades pre-K to 12. The high school serves grades 6-12, which is fewer than 500 students.

In Gilmer County, there aren’t many employment opportunities beyond the college, school district or federal prison. Many people have only a high school diploma, and education isn’t a primary focus for most families. The primary challenge with our students lies in helping them believe that they have a range of options.

I’m the sole seventh-grade math teacher in the county, so chances to collaborate with other educators within my district were limited before I joined M3T. Now, things that I’ve tried because of joining M3T have empowered my students to take ownership of their learning. They’re not just replicating processes or imitating my actions anymore. They are actively contributing to the education that is happening.

I especially see that when I involve my students in decision-making and ask them to reflect on the effectiveness of different strategies we’re trying. Because I get candid feedback about their learning back from them, they’re able, even at the age of 12, to participate meaningfully in shaping their own learning.

Sometimes that means I hear from them that something isn’t working. That’s okay! M3T is all about using the data we collect to refine our approach. Once I experimented with a method that involved the students doing eight minutes of independent contemplation followed by five minutes of individual work. It wasn’t suitable for seventh graders, and we discontinued the practice after four attempts. It was a misstep, but it wasn’t a failure, because it meant the students and I were finding the most positive trajectory for our classroom.

Last year, I had the opportunity, albeit not always a pleasant one, to teach my own child. Despite his reservations about some of our instructional strategies, he does acknowledge that they have made a difference in his progress. That really has reinforced my belief that even at a young age, students are receptive. More often than we acknowledge, they can understand the rationales behind the approaches we’re taking.

I used to be a math teacher who never had another teacher lean into my classroom to ask me a question or ask for my help. I wasn’t social; I was queen of my classroom, and I hid in there. I was going to retire at 60, and I was ready to be done.

And then M3T happened. These last years have been like an explosion. They have energized me and made me feel younger as a teacher and less jaded—and now I might teach till I’m 100.

I came to teaching relatively late. For the first 35 years of my life, I raised my kids, I was a church musician, I ran a music school and I drove a tank in the Army. I was a vehicle recovery specialist for the military and one of the first women in this country to ever have that job. I started teaching in a private school and hated that, but I’ve been teaching in public schools for about 15 years now.

I love my school in Morgan County. I drive 100 miles a day to work there. I live in Cumberland, Maryland, so I drive 50 miles to Berkeley Springs to teach, and then 50 miles home at the end of the day. I love my administration, and I love my kids.

Our kids tend to have very low socioeconomic status. A lot of them live with a grandparent, an aunt or uncle or cousin, or a stranger. Lots of transients move in and out of our county and Berkeley and Jefferson counties, so we’re always trying to find them services.

There’s no entitlement in Morgan County, and there’s a hunger for getting out. The kids know that the future right now doesn’t look good, and they’re scared. But if you really connect with them, they will let you help them.

At my school, each math teacher has one grade, so I teach all high school seniors. That means I teach AP statistics, advanced math modeling and a college transitional class with Blue Ridge College. 

Because of M3T, I now ask my students whether they were engaged by a problem, for example, or whether they were comfortable sharing in class. They now believe that I’m interested in whether something works for them. They love that a teacher is asking them, “Is this a good thing that we just did?” They can’t believe they’re being asked.

A big part of M3T’s focus is student confidence and comfort. “Do I feel comfortable answering the question? Has my teacher established a room that is safe, where if I give the wrong answer, I know I’m not going to be disrespected by the teacher or any other students?” Class climate changes everything. With the right class climate, you don’t have to manage relationships. I didn’t have to write a single referral last year because students felt important and seen.