My name is Demetrica Gorden McMurtery. I teach Algebra Transition and Geometry at Callaway High School in Jackson, Mississippi where I was born and raised, and was an Algebra Project (AP) teacher at Lanier High School in Jackson from 2006 - 2010.  In addition to being a full time teacher, I have three children, ages 2, 4, and 9.

My family moved to another part of Jackson in the 6th grade and I ended up at Brinkley Middle School in the Algebra Project. I loved the math we did.  It was so much fun and interesting, so I always wanted to do more and started staying after school. I also wanted to get away from my personal life at home.  People in the AP were so friendly and nice so I was pulled in.  Staying after school was a way for me to have a feeling of comfort, to be around people I could talk to about stuff, and share my feelings with, to be around other kids who were going through some of the same things I was going through.  It gave me a sense of security.  When I was in the 7th grade, we used to get together after school and come up with new math games and different ideas for how to teach the graphing calculators to the rest of the students in our class. We began to do graphing calculator workshops for students and some of the AP teachers in Jackson and in the Mississippi  Delta.  We would also just hang out together and play ball.  Omo and Taba were athletes so they would hang with the guys a lot, but I also hung out with them because I was into sports.  One day we decided that we needed to call ourselves something. That’s how YPP was born.  

When I was in the 6th grade I can remember saying, ‘I am never going to be a teacher’.  I always wanted to be a medical doctor, but I was in the AP and YPP for so long, that I grew to love facilitating and teaching. I also decided to major in math at Tougaloo College. My plan was to do math and go to medical school.  Then I was approached in 2006  by the Algebra Project to become an AP teacher at Lanier High School. At that time, the project would not have been able to continue without a teacher. I said to myself, ‘If I don’t do it, who will?’  

As a math teacher I like the fact that I have been able to experience math in many different ways.  I believe that many teachers teach math the way they have been taught it.  I have been exposed to traditional ways and to the AP and YPP pedagogy, which I consider to be non-traditional.  I am able to use both in my classroom.

Part of what makes me love teaching so much is when I can experience getting somebody to learn something and have them give it back to me in a way that shows they understand the concepts and can teach others.  This gives me great joy. It all goes back to YPP. From the first time I began to facilitate and do workshops with YPP what I enjoyed the most was the feeling I got when teachers were so amazed that these young kids could teach them something.  As a 6th, 7th, and 8th grader I got so much pleasure from knowing that I could share something with my peers or with adults, and they could learn something from me.  In my classroom the only way I can know if my students are really learning is not only giving them an assessment, but if they can come to the board and explain it.  My feeling is that I know you know something if you can explain it to someone else. It’s not enough to just show it on paper. It’s not an easy job because every child is not comfortable getting up in front of their peers, so I push and motivate them.  At the same time the more they do it the easier it becomes, so I try to use it as often as I can.  I also feel that being able to speak publicly is helping them prepare for life in other ways.

 It is important to me to develop a relationship with every one of my students. I think that every student needs a teacher that they feel they can talk to about anything. From AP and YPP I learned that if you have a relationship with your teacher or professor and they know you and understand you as a person, not just as a student, then they can relate to you and help you better. I was in the Algebra Project from 6th - 12th grade.  Dr. Bob Moses (AP founder) was my teacher in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade.  He was able to learn me over the years.  He knew my capabilities even when I did not know them.  He knew I was sassy and he knew he could talk to me about certain things in certain ways.  Ms. Wilma Morris was my teacher in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.  We also grew to know and love each other, even though we did not get along well in the beginning. I think kids learn more if they have a teacher for more than one year - you understand how they learn, and they understand how you teach. Being a student in the AP and being an AP teacher was a good experience. I got to know my students for four years - it was like they were my own children. I knew how to deal with each child.  

From YPP and AP I learned that when you are facilitating the biggest thing is that you don’t leave anyone behind.  I learned that everybody’s answer or opinion about something is valuable, and that it is the role of the teacher to ask why and how they came to their conclusion. As a young person working with YPP we learned that in a sense ‘there is always more than one way to skin a cat’.  As a child I never wanted anyone to tell me I was wrong.  I knew I was smart and I was a debater.  In YPP it was never about having a right or wrong answer. When I came up with an answer I compared mine to my classmates, and we had to explain our thinking to each other.  Everyone had the opportunity to explain their answer and come to a conclusion as a class about what the correct answer was.  In the end what mattered the most was that I was heard, and I that I understood why I was right or wrong. My feelings did not get hurt if I got the ‘wrong’ answer because we were able to validate and voice our opinions.  I use this a lot in my teaching.   If two students come up with different answers I try to get the class engaged in sharing their understanding about why there are different answers and their opinions about it.

Being part of AP and YPP has made a significant difference in my life, and I have had many experiences that I would not have had.  I use the methods I learned as a student in YPP and AP daily.  If not for them I would not be a teacher today.

or if you prefer you may also use