By Olivia Augustine – Staff Reporter

Ms. Loch has been a math teacher for 16 years. She is also a proud Law alum, Law’s head volleyball coach, and teaches Algebra 2 L1 and L2, and AP Statistics. Advocate Staff Reporter Olivia Augustine interviewed Loch about the current school year. 

Olivia Augustine: How has COVID impacted the way you teach this year?

Ms. Loch: It has definitely been a challenge this year.  It’s tough having students online and in person at the same time, so I had to make sure that all files were digital (most were) and posted before class so students at home who wanted to print them could.  I had to change my review since most of my review sessions were group work or a scavenger hunt where students roamed the class or sat in groups to complete assignments.  For my AP class I really had to change things a lot.  Losing half the class time and starting later in the year was tough.  I still needed to complete the curriculum for the AP exam and make sure students were getting the curriculum completed with enough time to review and practice timed tests for the AP exam.   

OA: What are your goals from now to the end of the school year?

ML: I want to try to somehow incorporate some fun activities I did last year but need to figure out how to individualize it instead of group work.  I also want to make sure I have great preparation for AP students who take the exam in May.  I want them to feel confident going into the exam.  

OA: What do you enjoy about teaching?

ML: I like student interaction and seeing students get excited when they figure out how to do an example or when they get an answer right for an example where they might have struggled.  I struggled with math concepts in high school and remember that feeling, so I want to be that support for students and help them overcome those challenges.  It’s also great to receive a note/email from a student who graduated and in college with updates of how they are doing and how they were able to remember the stat class we had and helped them in college classes.  I also like to see the career path students take after high school and the amazing things they accomplish.     

OA: How have you adapted to teaching online on Wednesdays? 

ML: The Wednesdays changed a bit now from the beginning of the year. In the beginning, I utilized time to review a concept, do check-ins to check student understanding, and do SAT practice problems. Now that we are on a rotating schedule, it’s a little easier and I can just continue forward with my lessons to keep consistency.  

OA: Why did you decide to become a teacher? 

ML: Since I was little I wanted to be a teacher, mainly elementary. I got to college and decided to change to a Secondary education math teacher. I liked Math, but struggled with it at times. I wanted to teach students that math can be interesting and fun and I also wanted help and support students like me who struggle with it.