RE LOG Fall 2017

FALL 2017 Ransom Everglades LOG 25 Jean Duty always wanted to be a teacher and often volunteered to lead her high school classmates in solving challenging math problems. “My 10th-grade geometry teacher understood that I knew a lot about geometry and always had me up in front of the board. That was the turning point for me. I suddenly realized I could explain things to people in a simple enough way where the students in the class understood it.” Despite her proficiency, she did not feel encouraged to pursue her passion by most of her teachers – even the female ones. It was only after a Barry University counselor explained that she could more readily find a secure job teaching math than history that she decided to become a math major. She never looked back on the decision. “I chose teaching, hoping to fix it,” she said. “So I have an attitude. I felt I had teachers that were not very supportive.” At Ransom Everglades, she’s known for her clear, engaging style, and ever-present smile and enthusiasm. She has won the Arthur Moses Faculty Award, served as an academic dean and taken on the leadership of her department. She co-wrote and revised an Algebra II textbook with colleague Henry Stavisky ’85 . She gave a TEDx talk in which she shared her love of mathematics called, “Beauty, Fractals and Infinity.” She has taught virtually every course in the math curriculum as well as computer science. Noted Ann Goesel, with a grin: “She’s fixed it now.” Mathematics and Computer Science Department Chair Born: Pittsburgh, Pa. BS in math, Barry University, 1978 Jean Duty Mrs. Duty was the best math teacher I ever had. Even better than any of my college professors. She had a way of explaining the material that just made sense. She was patient, kind and witty. She pushed us to understand the material but she was always there to lend a helping hand. She made me a better student all around and helped open up my curiosity of learning. ” – Alejandra de la Cruz ’06 It was because of Mrs. Duty and my very positive experience in her math classes that I wanted to pursue a degree in mathematics. It’s hard to find math teachers who are not only excellent mathematicians, but also great at explaining abstract mathematical concepts. Her passion for mathematics always kept us interested and engaged. And no one can ever forget her laugh. It was a contagious laugh that made one forget the difficulty of the material at hand.” – Leticia Beeck ’13 (minored in math at Georgetown University) “ “ 1984-85 first year at RE years Photograph by Carl Kafka.