Karen Feld is a 4th year teacher from Orem. She teaches at Pleasant Grove Junior High where she teaches PreAlgebra, Algebra, and Problem-Solving.

Karen has a Psychology Education minor and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Mathematics Education from Western Governor’s University. She is currently the math collaboration team leader at her school and has taught sessions at UCTM about activities that encourage interaction in the classroom.

Her classroom is colorful and dynamic where students work collaboratively and celebrate successes. High expectations are visible through hard work in addition to student and teacher learning. Laughter is also a large part of Karen’s classroom.

When asked about her favorite teaching moment, she had this to say.
“I have so many, but my one of my favorites is when I was in my first year of teaching. I was teaching how to determine the actual distance between two cities knowing the scale distance on a map. I was reading a story problem and said, ‘Tom knew that he was 2 inches away from the lake. He knew he couldn’t see it from where he stood…’ and in the middle of the sentence, one of my students blurted out, ‘He couldn’t see the lake that was two inches away from him?’ The whole class started laughing so hard and I couldn’t stop laughing. It was something the whole class remembered. I think it was then that I knew that teaching was what I really wanted to do. It was a good day.”

To keep her going, Karen keeps a folder of cards that students have written to her and at times when she has parents who make her feel worthless or situations that are beyond her control, she pulls them out. “They make me remember why I do this. I have also made some great friends from my faculty. It is so great to talk to someone who knows what I am going through and can give me advice,” Karen states.

Karen’s words of advice:

• Don’t ever think you know everything.
• Don’t ever stop learning how to become a better teacher.
• Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions. Keep a positive attitude about everything. It is the hardest thing to do in our profession, but it can also give us a better perspective about our students.
• Have a personal life outside of teaching. As important as it is, it shouldn’t be your whole life.
• Laugh, laugh, laugh!!

What does Karen love to do during the summer?
“During the summer I love sleeping in! That has to be my favorite part of summer. I also love to be in the water – especially if it is in California. I also love camping and a good dutch oven dinner. I am a big bookworm. I am constantly looking for a different book to read. This summer I am big into my garden. I am obsessed with watching it grow. I love to travel. I hope to go to Japan next year. If I had enough money I would travel the world!”