Kiara Linwood: Combining structure with support

Kiara Linwood is an educator who encourages her students to become the best version of themselves. As a lifelong learner herself, she invests in her own education to ensure that her students have access to an array of resources and exceptional teaching.

Kiara Linwood of Everman High School has always had a love for math, and after working as a tutor in college, where she was a math major, she knew it was her calling and obtained her teaching certification. However, believing in the importance of continued learning and education and seeking to fine-tune her craft, Kiara always attends new training programs run by her district and is also currently in grad school, which she says will help her to advance with regards to leadership and make her more well-rounded as an educator.

Kiara fosters high expectations in the classroom and encourages her students to take ownership of their learning. She said that she prides herself on creating a very structured classroom. “It shows them the reality of life - that there are deadlines, consequences and rewards.” That said, she also makes sure that her classroom is an environment where students feel comfortable raising questions, and expressing concerns, even when those concerns are not related to math.

Kiara finds group work and pair work to be particularly effective for consolidating students’ learning. One activity that she finds helps students better conceptually understand math is the ‘scholar, scribe’ game, which is an activity she uses after the class has covered a topic together.

Reflecting on the challenges brought about by the pandemic, Kiara said that for many students, it has been hard for them to reacclimate, so providing them with support and a safe place is essential. That said, she explained she was able to navigate the technological aspects of remote teaching much more smoothly because she always stays up-to-date with the latest technology, as it is something to which she naturally gravitates.

For Kiara, math is a deep love of hers and a big part of who she is and how she thinks, so being able to share this with students is incredibly exciting for her. As such, seeing students’ confidence build and witnessing their love for math grow is a hugely rewarding aspect of teaching for Kiara.

Photos courtesy of Kiara Linwood