Walking into room 207, one can view many wonders. Sights of students with calculators instead of phones in their hands, looking truly engaged, are not uncommon. One is able to witness these students figuring out problems through teamwork in their vertical workspaces. This is what a typical day in Mrs. Sandtveit’s math class looks like.
Teacher of the month is a segment of The Spectator where we feature a teacher at Berkley High School and take a deep dive into their lives beyond the classroom in order for the BHS community to get to know them better. This April, we are featuring Mrs. Sandtveit. She teaches Pre-Calculus as well as Algebra I here at Berkley High School. Mrs. Sandtveit is a prominent member of the BHS community and is loved by her students. Below is more about Mrs. Sandtveit!
Q: How long have you been teaching for?

A: This is my twenty-fifth year.
Q: What made you want to teach?

A: I’ve always loved school. As a kid, I would play “school” and make sisters pretend to be students, which they did not like.
Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I went to U of M Dearborn. I majored in math and then got my teacher certificate.
Q: What was the most rewarding and the most difficult thing about majoring in Math?

A: The most difficult part was that I had to get a true math major, so my classes were really really hard. The most rewarding thing was that I survived it!
Q: What advice would you give a student hoping to major in math in the future?

A: Just know that it will be challenging, but if you use all the tools and strategies that you have to work through adversity, you can do it.
Q: Why did you decide to teach math?

A: I had a friend in high school who struggled in math. When she struggled I would help her, which made me realize that I enjoyed helping people learn math.
Q: What do you like about teaching?

A: I like being able to build relationships with students and getting them to be interested in math in a way that they didn’t think that they could be.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?

A: I like Pre-Calculus. I’ve taught algebra almost every year of teaching, but I prefer Pre-Calculus because the students are a little more engaged and invested since it’s a higher-leveled math class.
Q: How is your teaching style unique?

A: I think I try to engage the students as much as I can rather than lecturing, which is how I was taught math. This year I am trying the no homework thing, which as a math teacher, is unique.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from teaching?

A: Once I had a student fall through a wall. There was a small hole and then he tipped back his chair, and ended up falling through the wall. He ended up being ok, but I will always remember that.