Introduction

I am Shannon Register from a little town called Whiteville, NC.  I am the middle child of three siblings and I use to suffer from the “middle child” syndrome.  I thought the world revolve around me until I had my beautiful daughter, Kaylin.  Now, the world revolves around her.  In my spare time which is not much, I spend it with my husband and daughter.   Currently, my family lives in Fayetteville, NC. 

After graduating from NC State University with a BA in mathematics education and BS in mathematics, I moved back home to Whiteville and taught high school mathematics for several years.  Then moved to Fayetteville where I taught for several more years and served as an assistant principal and principal as well.    I am the newly named Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education (Grades 6 – 13) in Hoke County.  I have worked in Hoke for the past 7 years and started in the position of Curriculum Coordinator for Science and Mathematics in grades 9 – 12.  My passion is mathematics.  I LOVE math!  I love the challenge of solving problems and problem solving.  When I taught mathematics, I always had at least 90% of my students proficient on the end-of-course tests.  Everyone would ask “What is your secret?”  I did not have a secret.  As I reflect, I believe it was the relationships that I cultivated with my students.  I focused on relationships first then mathematics.  I firmly believed in the six-point lesson, explicitly teaching problem solving skills, and standard-based instruction.

In my different roles as a supervisor of curriculum, I observed different approaches to teaching mathematics such as textbook-dependent instruction, activity-based instruction, inquiry-based instruction, etc.  I believe exemplary mathematics teaching is ensuring that instruction is student-centered to include scaffolding strategies to meet the needs of students.   As mathematicians, we must use a conceptual understanding framework of mathematics not just memorization of formulas.  We must foster curiosity, problem solving skills, and allow students to discover and make connections to previous knowledge. 

I am very excited about this course because it will provide me an opportunity to delve into the pedagogy  of mathematics and get a better grasp of conceptual understanding in mathematics and how we as educators need to shift our thinking and instruction to ensure students are equipped for the 21^st century.  I am confident in leading in mathematics, however, I want/need to add more tools to my toolbox and assist teachers with making a 21st century shift in the delivery of content.  

                                    My two babies!  Kaylin (daughter) and Anthony (husband)