The D2 Center is currently offering an elective credit math course called Numeracy: Fundamentals & Connections. Taught by Jackie Thomas and Donna Trout, this class helps students boost their math skills.
“Our number one goal is to help the students realize how important math is,” says Ms. Thomas. Another goal is to fill in any gaps in math skills that students may have missed along the way for various reasons. The three-week class is divided into weekly sections. The first week focuses on money, including the relationship between education and potential job earnings, or, as Ms. Thomas puts it, “The more you know, the more you earn.” The teachers also cover how pay, taxes, and Social Security are calculated, as well as how to figure a budget.
The second week highlights measurements along with decimals, fractions, percents, and ratios. The third week focuses on geometry. Each week, lessons are “interspersed with activities for a variety of things to do,” says Ms. Thomas. Khan Academy, a popular website offering instructional math videos, is one resource the students use – and is a resource they’ll be able to use after they finish this class and move on to other math classes.
Ms. Trout says, “I like helping students see that math is not as difficult as they may have thought it’s been in the past. Working with them on a one-to-one or two-to-one basis helps them see that they can get it. It may take longer, but they can get it.”
Ms. Thomas and Ms. Trout are both retired, certified teachers. Ms. Thomas taught in secondary schools for 39 years in Ohio, Maryland, Wisconsin, and ended up here in Nebraska. Ms. Thomas now teaches math at Metro Community College. Ms. Trout grew up in New York state, and started her career with a brief stint on Guam before moving to Nebraska. She taught junior high for 12 years followed by 18 years at the senior high level, finishing at Bryan Senior High, where she met Ms. Thomas. Ms. Trout also owns a professional clowning business.
Thank you to Ms. Trout and Ms. Thomas for sharing their math expertise with our students here at the D2 Center. If you or someone you know is interested in improving their math skills and is in need of an elective high school credit, please contact the D2 Center staff at 402-502-8534 for more information. We also offer courses in reading skills, literacy and life skills, and family health. Our classes are usually three weeks long for three or four hours a day. Class sizes are small with certified teachers, and scheduling is flexible to meet busy students’ needs. Please call us with questions!