STEM is a highly popular field, garnering interest from more than 75% of Gen Z students in the United States. Despite this large majority, only about a quarter are exposed to careers in STEM and real-world...
Hidden in a nook on the first floor, math and computer science teacher Jason Townsend enthusiastically teaches his last year of classes before retirement. His booming voice resounds off the blue...
On the first day of every month, students in math teacher Michelle Meers’s class find themselves a part of a unique tradition. Since the 1900s, the Rabbit Rabbit superstition is said to have brought...
Outside of school, math teacher Jason Townsend can be found at the podium guiding college students at Maryville University through website and app development.
Townsend has over 22 years of high school...
![“I was the girl that always played teacher when I [was] growing up. I [would set] my dolls up and stuffed animals up and they’d be my students [that I] would play school with. When I graduated high school, I went to Mizzou to become a broadcast journalist. I talked to a couple of people in the field and they all said to go wherever the jobs are. I knew I wasn't the type of person [whose] career was going to drive them around the world, and I knew I was in the wrong place, so I talked to my parents, and they [said] that I’ve always loved teaching. I went to Missouri State University, [then got a job] in a small town called Buffalo just north of Springfield and I worked there for two years. After that, I decided to get my graduate degree in math, and I had an opportunity to get a grad assistantship where I could go to school and teach. We ended up moving here to St. Louis and I taught for 10 years in the Fort Zumwalt district, and then seven years here at Parkway West. The one piece of advice I always give students is that they will spend more waking hours of their adult life in their job than anything else they do; so find something that you're passionate about and something that you love. Oftentimes as an adult, I feel like I'm saying one thing and doing another thing, but that [advice] I feel like I'm truly living.” – Andrea Horn, Math](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DSC0040-1200x800.jpg)
![”High school so far has been fun. It's not as stressful and I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. My favorite part about high school so far has been journalism. I like journalism because it gives you the freedom to use your strengths in different ways. I also enjoy algebra. Not a lot of people like math, but I find it really fun. I have a really good teacher and I think that helps a lot with liking a class. I play golf, soccer, and volleyball. Soccer probably [means the most] because I've played it for a very long time. [It is special] because I can relate to people in my family. My brother plays soccer, my dad used to play and it's fun for the whole family to go watch it or play it together. Something that's important to me is getting good grades because I want to go to college. I want to have the best grades that I can [have] so I can set myself up for success. As of right now, I want to be some sort of photographer. Right now I'm really into concert photography [because] it looks really fun. Photography is special to me because you just get to capture moments in time and you can share things that people don’t get to see.” - Laney Thomas, 9](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-9-1200x800.jpg)
![“Everyone here at Parkway West High School keeps telling me I am famous [from a TikTok that went viral]. They [students and staff] stop me in the hallways asking for my autograph. That takes a lot to get accustomed to, but I enjoy the noticed honor. My major at the University of Texas – Austin was a clear path. I married while in College and relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas with my husband; and later, to St. Louis, Missouri. I finished my undergraduate degree at Harris Stowe University here in St. Louis and began my first Mathematics Teacher assignment at Hanley Junior High School in the University City Public Schools. My mother, Mrs. Bernice Barbara Nash Jackson, Deceased was the greatest inspiration to become a teacher. My aunt, Dr. Myrtle Elliott Hightower, and Dr. Todd Elliott, Deceased shared in that distinction. My uncle, Dr. Elliott was a Mathematics Teacher. His love of Mathematics inspired me to show an interest in the subject. I do regret not pursuing being a High School Band Director. I love playing different instruments. I began in the Band at South Oak Cliff High School, Dallas, Texas. I have pleasant thoughts of being Majorette Captain of my High School Marching Band,” - Mrs.McNeal, math](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC_0025-900x600.jpg)
![Math and computer science teacher Jason Townsend explains how to graph algebraic equations in front of the class. Townsend teaches algebra, calculus, and computer science. "I love teaching calculus [because] calculus [is] more challenging [and] more interesting to me. Granted, if you're a good teacher, you find ways to make [all math] interesting for your students and you challenge yourself to do it differently all the time,” Townsend said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Townsend-900x721.jpg)
![Math teacher Michelle Meers teaches her class about a superstition in her 7th period class. Meers reminds her class of the monthly luck booster a day before the new month. “It just helps them remember what day it is and that a new month is coming up. [It also] perks them up and helps them listen,” Meers said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/image1-3-900x600.jpg)
