Sharon Hessney:From Wall Street to Capitol Hill

摘要

When you hear ASA member Sharon Hessney talk about her career teaching statistics to underprivileged high-school students, you can hear her enthusiasm for teaching in her voice. Years ago, Hessney left a career on Wall Street to teach math to high-school students in Boston. Since she began teaching statistics 14 years ago, she has become a tireless advocate for the advancement of statistics education,'which she thinks is regressing to a method of teaching by the test. "The education pendulum was swinging from teaching skills-based math to teaching inquiry-based math. I learned how to educate deep analytical thinkers," said Hessney. "Now, the pendulum is swinging back to skills-based math, which can be measured on standardized tests. This is not what students need to excel in the 21st century." Earlier this year, Hessney was selected for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the program gives educators the opportunity to bring their insights from the classroom to Congress by working in national policy organizations. In September, she will join 28 math, science, engineering, and technology teachers to participate in the 11-month fellowship.