On his first day at the school, the new Algebra 2 Honors teacher Andrew Shoemaker was walking to the math quad copy room when he noticed something unique about his new school.
“I couldn't help but notice the giant trophies in the display box in the math quad,” Shoemaker said. “I was very impressed.”
Later, he was asked if he would be willing to serve as the new math club adviser. Shoemaker agreed, saying he was “stoked to be a part of and support something that students were so dedicated to.”
The opening was created when last year’s math club adviser, resource aide Michael Silva, decided to return to San Jose State to get his teaching credential this year.
As a new member of the math department and a new teacher at the school, Shoemaker said he was looking for ways he could contribute to the math department and the community as a whole. Becoming the new math club adviser to was, to him, the perfect role.
Shoemaker has taught at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, and at Waimea High School in Hawaii, both of which are smaller schools.
Some of his previous experiences being a club adviser include being the adviser of a skateboard club and a makeshift chess club, but he says he looks forward to being the adviser of the more official and prestigious SHS Math Club.
Senior Tiffany Huang, president of the Toga Math Club, is glad that Shoemaker has taken the new role.
“I think it's great that we were able to find an adviser that was so willing to help us out and on such a short notice,” Huang said. “It's a great relief to know that we have someone behind us so that our club can continue to run smoothly in the future with all the different events we participate in.”
According to Shoemaker, being a math club adviser is different from teaching math in the classroom. In a normal classroom, the students are there to fulfill the math needed for college credits. However, members of the math club meet on Tuesdays during lunch because they want to be there.
“As a teacher of mathematics in my classroom, it is my job to prepare all students to understand the concepts of the math curriculum, where as a math club adviser I am there as support for students who want to do their thing,” he said.
Some of Shoemaker’s goals include increasing the enjoyment level of the students doing math and creating a positive learning environment where students can share in their common interest of problem solving.
That is, after all, the point of a club, he said.
Shoemaker said he looks forward to advising high-level mathematics and hopes to ensure the growth and success of the program.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with some brilliant students and to find out what the world of being a competitive mathlete is all about,” Shoemaker said.