What sets The Donoho School apart is our faculty. These individuals provide the living curriculum for Donoho students in and out of the classroom. Each week we will feature a member of the faculty and his or her story. We hope you will enjoy getting to know our faculty members throughout the school year and will stop by each week to read the latest Donoho Story!
Donoho Stories: Miss Megan Williams
What do you teach at The Donoho School?
I teach Precalculus, Geometry, and Algebra I in the Upper School.
What do you love about The Donoho School?
I love that our school feels like a family. The teachers, administrators, students, and parents all work cohesively in order to help every facet of our school become the best it can be. I have no doubt that everyone within the walls of Donoho on a daily basis share in this mentality, which allows for it to be an ideal educational environment.
Why do you like teaching at The Donoho School? What motivated you to become a teacher at The Donoho School?
There are many reasons I love teaching at Donoho. The administration never ceases to amaze me in the amount of care they take to make sure I feel supported. My colleagues always seem to have something positive to share or some insight to lend me any time we cross paths. The students are dynamic, engaging, and always willing to learn something new, which makes teaching at Donoho an absolute joy. Last, but not least, the parents of my students do a fabulous job at staying in communication with me any time I reach out to them via email or a phone call. They have been great to work with so far, and I certainly do not take their interest in their students’ respective needs for my class for granted. Last year I taught at a school very different from Donoho, and to be quite honest it made me question my love and desire to teach. I knew Donoho would be a great environment to reignite my passion for pedagogy, and it has certainly exceeded my expectations in every way. I am extremely grateful for the experience I have had thus far.
What is a unique experience, talent or interest that you bring to your classroom to help shape the learning experience of your students?
Something unique I believe I bring to my classroom is the desire to help my students understand that it’s okay if a concept doesn’t make sense at first. And often the incorrect answers are just as important in mathematical discussion as the correct answers. I try to tell them about mistakes that I made when I was learning concepts at their age so they can see it’s possible to make a few mistakes along the way, learn from them, and eventually be very successful in mathematics if they choose to do so.
What sets Donoho students apart from students in other schools?
The Donoho School’s students are set apart from other schools because of their charisma and drive. I love being able to come into my classroom and talk about not just the topics at hand, but also delve deeper into the “whys” of the topics in order to gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding. My students are interested in real-world applications and also nuances of these applications, which causes them to become great problem-solvers and to be successful not just inside but also outside of the classroom.
The Donoho School tagline is “Discover the Difference.” How do you accomplish this in your role at Donoho?
I try to accomplish this by treating my job as more than just “a job.” When I come to school, I am truly delighted to see the family that makes up our school. I think this is something really special that makes Donoho different and also a wonderful place to teach, learn, and grow.
What do you want your students to gain from having known you?
I hope my students gain an appreciation for mathematics and also for people who are different from them. I try to teach love and respect for all of my students no matter what their stories may be, and hopefully my students see this as something that is important to them as well.
Miss Williams received her B.A. in mathematics and her M.A. in mathematics education from the University of Alabama. During her time in college she competed on the Alabama Women’s Track and Cross Country teams, where she received All-SEC Academic accolades for four years. She worked at the Sylvan Learning Center while in college, where she honed skills of specialized instruction for all types of learners. She spent the last year teaching Geometry at Sipsey Valley High School in Tuscaloosa County. Miss Williams is extremely excited to have the opportunity to teach math and coach the track and field team at The Donoho School.
