Tuesday, May. 04, 2010
Easy as 1,2,3
Dierking named BSSD teacher of the year
Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff
Julie Scheidegger, the Journal
Blue Springs South High School's Greg Dierking, algebra 1, pre-AP calculus teacher, is the 2010 teacher of the year for the Blue Springs School District. Dierking tries to reach students by applying math to their passions; his include baseball and Ford Mustangs.
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closeFor some students, math is the most dreaded class of the day. Theorems, formulas, X’s and Y’s in place of numbers, imaginary numbers, there’s a lot to remember and only one correct answer.
For students in Craig Dierking’s algebra 1 class, discussion of Mustangs and batting averages replaces the X’s and Y’s.
“The key to teaching math is to make it relatable to your students,” Dierking said. “For instance, I had a student who was in a band. So we started talking about selling T-shirts and how much that would cost. He might not understand the Quadric Formula, but he can understand how the formula can fit into his everyday life.”
For the Blue Springs South teacher, knowing his students is key.
“I like cars and baseball, that’s me,” he said. “So bringing math into a discussion of baseball for example, averages and things like that, is natural. It’s all about how you package something.”
Last Friday, Dierking was named Blue Springs School District Teacher of the Year, an honor he’s still a little shocked about.
“It’s great to be recognized,” he said with a laugh. “I guess I’m still a little surprised because I just really love what I do.”
Dierking did not set out to be a teacher. After earning his associate’s degree, he started attending the University of Central Missouri, majoring in business accounting.
“I was taking a college algebra class and there was a woman in the class, a little bit older than me, and it was the last class she needed to get her degree,” Dierking said. “She failed the first two tests and she was really struggling in the class. Math has always come pretty easily to me so I offered to help.”
Dierking set up a study group with his classmate and soon she began to understand the concepts and do well in the class.
“By the end of the semester half the class was in my study group,” he said with a smile. “The woman went on to pass the class and she thanked me for the help, telling me the way I explained this was unlike any teacher she had.”
It was with that that Dierking decided to change his major to math education.
“I’ve never looked back,” he said.
As he sits in his classroom, which is nearly wall-to-wall covered in Mustang posters and St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia, Dierking thinks back on his teaching career – he has spent his entire teaching life at South. “I student taught here in 1999,” he said. “When I first started teaching, Tim Jones was my mentor and it was just a great place to work.”
Dierking credits South’s staff with the reason he’s stayed 10 years at the school.
“I just can’t imagine going anywhere else,” he said. “I think our school’s math department is one of the best in the state. Our scores are consistently higher than the state average, so I don’t really want to go anywhere else.”
Math doesn’t really change over the years, Dierking said, but the way it is applied does.
“The concepts never change, but thinking about programs like computer aided drafting, which uses the computer and math formulas to lay out building designs, that’ very different than even 20 years ago,” he said. “Technology is in everything now.”
Dierking currently teaches algebra 1 and pre-AP calculus, which keeps him busy.
“I like teaching two levels,” he said. “You don’t want to teach only upper-level students because you lose touch with the other students. I teach kids across the board. It helps me stay fluid with math.”
Aside from teaching, Dierking is also the girls tennis coach and is looking forward to the fall season starting. “I’ve always played tennis and since 2004 have been involved in the team,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a pretty great season.”
As for his teaching future, Dierking is a little undecided.
“I can’t imagine leaving the district,” he said. “And I’m definitely not ready to leave the classroom. There are a lot of different avenues I could take, but it’s still pretty early in my teaching career. I’ve got a lot of time to figure it out.
“In the meantime though, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”
To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@bluespringsjournal.com.
