A New Perspective On Math At North Gem

Some students at North Gem High School are bucking the traditional textbook math class and instead opting for one that teaches some real life application of math skills.  The official name of the class is Project Based Applied Math.  The class is an elective for high school students that covers how math is used in a variety of everyday situations.  A better way to describe what goes on in the class would be to picture a hybrid wood shop and home economics class.  

Mrs. Dewitt is the class instructor and based the class off of a similar class that is offered at the Jr. High level.  “We were trying to come up with another elective class for the high school and many of the students saw the Jr. High class and wanted to take it.”  Mrs. Dewitt does teach the class but she has had several community members from different areas of expertise come in and help with the different hands-on activities.  Some of the activities that the students have worked on include cooking, baby blankets, pillow cases, jewelry boxes and wood shelves.  On the day of my visit to the classroom students were beginning to crochet hot pads.  

The various projects have been enjoyed by the students but Mrs. Dewitt makes sure to remind the students that all of the activities involve math in one form or another.  “It’s just good for them to see that they do use math every day.  No matter how bad they may hate math or don't believe me, they do use it.”

One of the many individuals that has been instrumental in the success of the class is Lisa Barfuss.  Lisa works for the Caribou County University of Idaho Extension Office and has worked with youth in the community for as long as anyone can remember.  In addition to Lisa offering her own personal knowledge on different topics, through her work at the University of Idaho Extension Office they have helped provide some of the much needed materials for the class.  The materials have helped make some of the projects achievable but if you ask Mrs. Dewitt one of the best things Lisa did for the class was bring in Lenrie Collins.

Lenrie headed up the wood projects in the class, and he has spent countless hours of his own personal time on to help make them possible.  The wood for the projects has primarily come from wood pallets that Lenrie and Lisa collected from across the county.  Lenrie took the pallets and cut them up then plained and sanded the wood to prepare it for the students' use.  It was obvious from my short time in the class that Lenrie is popular amongst the students as well as Mrs. Dewitt who stated, “If you ask me I think that the projects that the kids liked the best are the wood projects.  We don't have a wood shop room in the school.”  Lenrie was quick to speak up and respond to Mrs. Dewitt saying, “Yes we do.  We have it right here in this classroom.”  Mrs. Dewitt was not wrong in her assessment of the students feelings.  When I asked what their favorite project to work on was, the vast majority responded with the wood projects.

The class has had its share of trial and error.  Mrs. Dewitt and the others involved are already seeing ways that they can improve the class and make it even better than it already is.  They are also already working on more projects that the students can do.  One project they will be working on is a Levi quilt that they plan on giving to the school board to take to their yearly conference to raffle off.  There is no doubt that the class will continue to grow and be popular among the student body at North Gem.

It has long been discussed in many circles that today’s schools need to get back to some of the traditional hands-on classes that are more applicable to everyday life and this is one class that is doing just that.  Lenrie wrapped it up this way, “This has been great.  If this is something they want to do later on in life they now know how to use their math skills to do a lot of projects.  If you don't want wasted material there is a lot of math involved.”  I can't speak to the materials in the class but it is clear to me that Mrs. Dewitt’s Project Based Applied Math class has not been wasted on the youth at North Gem High School.