Teacher Mindy Hager on math: “Just stick with it.”

November 17, 2011 cvhsolympian

Math teacher Mindy Hager was not in advanced math when she was younger but she enjoyed math and did well in the class. Hager figured out she wanted to teach math as soon as she tried it out.

“I wasn’t always really good in math. In high school, I was not in advanced. I didn’t know I wanted to teach it until I tried it,” said Hager.

Hager graduated from UC Davis and transferred to University of Oregon afterwards. She started teaching in January 2000 at Alameda High School. She came to CVHS in September that year and enjoys teaching calculus, AP statistics and precalculus here on campus.

“Ms. Hager does examples and it’s really easy to understand,” said sophomore Beatrice Zhu.

Besides from being known as a math teacher at school, Hager is also known for having a lot of mind-game puzzles on her desk. She purchased most of her puzzles when she was in junior high from a puzzle man at a street art fair in Walnut Creek. The main objective of one of her puzzles is to detach a metal piece from the whole puzzle. Putting the metal piece back on is also part of the puzzle.

“It’s fun to watch kids solve them. They don’t need to be a good math student to be able to solve it,” explained Hager.

Students love solving the puzzles in class and are always determined to successfully solve them once they have started. Many of them think the puzzles are fun and very challenging.

“They [the puzzles] are good because they help you practice strategy,” said sophomore Gina Zhao.

In Hager’s spare time, she loves to spend time with her rescued poodle that she recently got from the SPCA, who only has three legs. Other hobbies include running and reading (nonfiction and fiction). She admits that she doesn’t like to cook very much, so she likes to go out and eat often.

Hager enjoys being a teacher and explained that her main mission is to expose kids to the excitement of math. If one is struggling with math, Hager gives out great advice.

She tells her students to always remember “to take it step by step. There’s going to be subjects that you’re good with and others you aren’t. Just stick with it.”