Janet White

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Q: Where are you from?

A: I am originally from a small town in N.E. Ohio, Rock Creek. After that, I lived in Harford County, Md. for 14 years before moving to Lancaster.

Q: Where were you educated?

A: I received my bachelor’s degree from Grove City College, in Western, Pa.; my master’s degree from Millersville and my Ph. D. from American University in Washington, D.C.

Q: Can you list some of your teaching experiences?

A: I am in my 23rd year of teaching: Eleven years teaching high school mathematics, in Harford County, Md.; followed by three years teaching mathematics at Villa Julie College (now Stevenson University), outside Baltimore and now I am in my ninth year teaching at Millersville.

Q: As assistant chair person for mathematics, what are your core responsibilities?

A: I serve “at the pleasure of the chair and the department.” That being said, mainly I work with the department chair on scheduling of classes and “other duties as assigned and needed!”

Q: As graduate program coordinator, what are your core responsibilities?

A: I work with my colleagues to review graduate applications, and graduation applications. I advise the graduate students who are also seeking Post-Baccalaureate Certification in secondary mathematics. As coordinator, I also serve as the chair of our department’s graduate curriculum committee. This includes trying to make sure our graduate offerings are current, meet student and faculty needs, and satisfy accreditation standards.

Q: What classes do you teach at Millersville?

A: Primarily, I work with mathematics education courses including the “Teaching of Secondary Mathematics Methods” course, and the content courses for elementary and middle level education majors, as well as graduate courses in mathematics education as part of our M.Ed. program. I also enjoy teaching introductory statistics, pre-calculus, survey of mathematical ideas, calculus and business calculus when time permits.

Q: What do you love about teaching at Millersville?

A: The students. Whether or not they like mathematics, I always feel like they are interesting people with a great deal to offer in class. Of course, one of my goals is to get them to LOVE math, but that doesn’t always happen.

Q: I know you do something with student teachers. What does this entail?

A: A lot of driving! In the spring, I will have 12 student teachers in eight schools, in three counties! I will observe each student teacher a minimum of six times and meet with them and their cooperating teachers at least three additional times. It is a wonderful opportunity to get out into schools and to stay current with the trends in local secondary education. It is also very rewarding to watch new teachers grow into their roles as educators.

Q: Can you talk about UCPRC?

A: I am no longer on UCPRC, but I served as the chairperson of the committee for four years. The committee deals with the curriculum approval process and reviewing university programs. It was a great opportunity to learn what is going on around the University, and a terrific opportunity to work with some fantastic and dedicated faculty members.

Q: When did you begin presenting at workshops?

A: In the summer of 2003.

Q: How many have you done?

A: Off the top of my head, I don’t know, but they are great ways to interact with current teachers and to provide them with practical skills and information that they can immediately put into place in their own classrooms.

Q: Have you travelled anywhere interesting for a math workshop?

A: No, but I have gotten the opportunity to travel across the country to some great cities for national conference presentations.

Q: Could you list some of your professional affiliations?

A: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, Mathematics Association of America, American Mathematical Society, American Statistical Association and their Pennsylvania affiliates.

Q: Did you always know you were going to be a math teacher/professor growing up?

A: If I had listened to my 4^th grade teacher, yes; however, for a long time, I thought I would be an accountant or a computer programmer. In my senior year of high school I was sure I wanted to teach; from there, I simply had to decide what level and what subject matter. Education can get in your blood and you cannot get it out!

Q: Why do you love math so much?

A: I think it’s the logic as well as the mystery. It’s about problem solving and I’ve always loved a good puzzle.

Q: Do you typically find yourself using math formulas on a daily basis outside of the classroom?

A: Nobody believes me when I say this, but YES! Math really is EVERYWHERE! I frequently find that I MUST share this with my non-math friendsJ.

Q: If you did not teach mathematics what subject would you teach?

A: If I had pursued music formally, I think I would have enjoyed teaching music in some form.

Q: Who is your favorite baseball and football team?

A: Clearly I am not a fair-weather fan, having lived in the Baltimore area for 14 years; my blood runs orange as an Orioles fan. Football, I am a little more fickle, I am currently a Steelers fan (my childhood team was the Miami Dolphins).

Q: What are you hobbies?

A: I enjoy trying to play golf, reading, puzzles, playing Wii and whenever I get back to it…cross-stitching. Other than that, I enjoy watching TV, curled up with my two favorite “boys” – my cats: Simon and Spooky!

Q: What is your favorite book, movie, music?

A: Whatever I’m reading at the moment is often my favorite; a recent favorite was “The Help” by Kathryn Stockton. My book club keeps me reading a lot of great books that I would not normally read, which has been great! My favorite movie recently is “Avatar,” which I only saw on DVD; I am also a sucker for Harry Potter. My musical tastes are very diverse, but typically Christian Pop/Rock is playing on my car stereo. I also love Straight No Chaser – if you don’t know about this fantastic a cappella group – check them out!