Interview by Daphne Tamburrini
The Falconer: Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Ms. Burton: I’m from Orange County, New York; a town called Warwick, which is a town that borders New York and New Jersey - Southern New York - it’s about an hour north of the city.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I went to a small high school in Tuxedo, New York. It was pretty similar to this (Mashpee) in size. We had about 107 kids in my graduating class. And then for college, my undergrad, I went to Western New England University, which is in Springfield, Massachusetts, out west. And then for my masters, I went to Ramapo College, which is in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Q: Did you always want to teach? What made you realize?
A: When I was in high school, I didn’t want to teach. I wanted to be something in the film/tv industry, like a communications major. But then after I was talking to family, and other teachers in school, they kind of persuaded me to go into teaching because I really enjoyed math. And I had a really influential math teacher in high school and I kind of wanted to be like him. So that’s why I did teaching.
The Falconer: Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Ms. Burton: I’m from Orange County, New York; a town called Warwick, which is a town that borders New York and New Jersey - Southern New York - it’s about an hour north of the city.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I went to a small high school in Tuxedo, New York. It was pretty similar to this (Mashpee) in size. We had about 107 kids in my graduating class. And then for college, my undergrad, I went to Western New England University, which is in Springfield, Massachusetts, out west. And then for my masters, I went to Ramapo College, which is in Mahwah, New Jersey.
Q: Did you always want to teach? What made you realize?
A: When I was in high school, I didn’t want to teach. I wanted to be something in the film/tv industry, like a communications major. But then after I was talking to family, and other teachers in school, they kind of persuaded me to go into teaching because I really enjoyed math. And I had a really influential math teacher in high school and I kind of wanted to be like him. So that’s why I did teaching.
Q: Where did you teach prior to Mashpee? Only ever at the school in New Jersey?
A: Well I was in for a couple months in one school, West Melforth, New Jersey, and then after that i moved to Ridgefield Park to start working there. I was in for different maternity leaves. So the teacher was out because she was having a baby so I was filling in for her. But then I was in Ridgefield Park public schools for five and a half years. So most of my career. All of it pretty much.
Q: What is your favourite thing about teaching?
A: It’s different everyday. I'm not coming in to a little cubicle and working at a desk. I get to walk around and interact with a lot of people and it’s just something different everyday. It’s not the same, boring thing. It’s exciting, it’s different. I get to plan and kind of make my own lessons and things I wanna do and tailor them, so I like that.
Q: Do you have a specific branch of math that you like best? What’s your favourite thing to teach?
A: I’ve always like algebra a lot. And more some reason, I always like matrices, even though I learned matrices in high school. I’ve never really gotten the chance to teach them. I feel like they’re kind of dying out from the math taught in high school. I feel like people don't really teach them anymore, they’re not really in the textbooks anymore. So when I was in school, I went over them and something about them I really liked. I don’t know why. But I do like algebra, I do like geometry too, I just haven’t taught it in a while.
Q: Do you have any advice for students trying to pick a college or career?
A: For college, look for something that you will enjoy for the next four years and something that has a major that you're interested in. Not just looking at how big the school is or where it’s located. Just look for something that’s gonna have something that you’re interested in majoring in. And it’s okay to not have an idea of what you want to do because eventually you will. Eventually it will dawn on you what you want to do for the rest of your life. But you don’t need to know right now.
Q: Is there anything you didn't do in middle school or high school that you wish you had?
A: I guess maybe join a few more clubs when I was in high school. I played sports and I was in student government but maybe diversifying myself a little bit and doing other things.
Q: How does Mashpee compare to past schools?
A: Mashpee is a lot smaller than the school I used to work at. My old school was about double the size of Mashpee, in student population. There were twice as many kids so nobody could walk in the hallway. It was crazy. So I like that a lot more, that people can walk. And also that you can connect more with the students and form better relationships because you see them in the hall or at lunch; everybody’s around. And this is the first time I’ve ever had my own classroom. At my other school, I used to have to go to the different classrooms and the kids would come because there weren’t enough rooms for teachers to have their own class. So I was in three different rooms. When I came here and I had my own class to decorate, I was like “this is awesome”. I liked that part.
Q: Did the hallways being so small and crowded ever stop you from getting to class on time?
A: Sometimes, I was cutting it pretty close. The bell was ringing and I was rushing in the door. But there was always a teacher there from the class before. So they usually waited for you to get there. But sometimes if they didn't, the kids were waiting in the hallway, which backed it up even more. So I don't miss that.
Q: Is there anything you think your students should know about you?
A: I really want to help the students. I want them to feel comfortable in being able to come talk to me about anything so that whether it's work or anything they want, I’m here for them.