Mrs Carlson is a mathematics teacher at Macleans College in Hillary House. She teaches a wide range of year groups from juniors in extension maths classes to seniors undertaking the Cambridge or NCEA curriculum as well as preparing ambitious students who take on the challenge of the NZQA Scholarship Statistics exam. We asked Mrs Carlson about how she got into teaching and what she loves about it as well as her favourite memories at Macleans. This is what she had to say.
Q1: What did you do prior to your job as a teacher?
I went straight into teaching after completing my degree. As a student, I had a part-time job at Resene (the paint shop) for many years.
Q2: What made you want to go into teaching maths?
I always knew that when I grew up, I wanted to help people in my job. When I went to university, I did a double major in Psychology and Statistics. I thoroughly enjoyed both parts of my degree. I had a passion for working with young people, so combining this with math in the form of educating young people made perfect sense to me.
I also had some amazing teachers when I was at school. Mrs Dorey, my maths teacher was my inspiration for becoming a maths teacher.
Q3: What has been your favourite memory at Macleans?
I have many memories at Macleans (as a past student) and now as a teacher. I love school cross-country days! I thoroughly enjoy running and seeing all students give their absolute best on the day.
Another great memory is when one of my previous AS Maths students brought a bunny into class one day. I will always remember that.
Q4: What do you enjoy the most about being a teacher?
My favourite part of my job is when I’m teaching my classes. I love sharing my passion for maths with my students and helping them achieve their dream jobs one day. I also enjoy it when I bump into past students when I’m out and about and get to hear what they are up to.
Friday, August 9th
Written by Mrs Carlson, edited by Aaron Huang
Photography Kanishk Soni
