It’s time for another #TeacherTuesday! This week, get to know Middle School Math Teacher Robert Sears!
What strikes you most about the students at Hillbrook?
I like the curiosity, the independence, and the confidence students have to share their own ideas and observations.
What is your favorite unit or project? What lesson are you most proud of and how does this resonate with students?
I like learning about indirect measurement, like in the 8th grade geometry class when we measured the big redwood tree on campus using altimeters, or coming up in algebra when we use the Pythagorean Theorem to find lengths, and also to prove the existence of irrational numbers. I love the experience of proving something is true that can’t be observed or measured directly.
What made you choose to come to Hillbrook to teach?
When I visited Hillbrook five years ago, the first thing I liked was the campus, and the fact that kids were running and laughing all over. I was especially excited about the focus on social and emotional learning, and that Hillbrook was a school that “walked the walk” in that area. I remember seeing a little card of Hillbrook’s communication norms that a staff member kept in his wallet. As a parent myself, I was looking for a school that I would want my own children to be at, and Hillbrook clearly offered a rich, thoughtful program.
What are you most looking forward to at Hillbrook in the next few months?
As an 8th grade teacher, this is a time when there is so much happening at once. Between the 8th grade musical, Reflection Speeches, and Capstone Projects, the student push themselves to accomplish so much, and to articulate the depth and breadth of their learning. The small moments when they get a chance to reflect on their growth and accomplishments are what I look forward to most.
What is the last book that you read?
Recently I picked up a copy of My Favorite Thing is Monsters, a graphic novel. The art is incredible, an it is constructed to look like the narrator made the art herself, sketched into a notebook. I’m really enjoying it. I’m also re-reading The Great Gatsby, which I haven’t looked at since high school. I like it so much more now!
We hope you enjoyed a window into Robert’s life at Hillbrook!