BY VICTORIA WHITE, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD -- Dr. Hope Aunya Wilder Reed, who has been a Geometry Honors math teacher at Blythewood High School for 11 years, has been a role model and mentor for many students. She demonstrates skills and guides in helping them develop and apply this knowledge.
Dr. Reed has taught at other schools such as University of South Carolina, Benedict College, W.J. Keenan High School, and more for about 23 years.
In 10 years however, she will be ready to retire.
Although she has taught for such a long time, being a teacher is not the career Dr. Reed wants to do forever.
“I wanted to try something else. I’ve always, and still do...wanted to be a coaching teacher, to help other teachers to prepare to teach. That’s all I want to do,” Dr. Reed said.
There was a long process of getting Dr. Reed to the successful point she is in.
To earn the title of “Dr." she wrote a dissertation called “The Relationship Between Student Achievement and Teacher Perception of Low Achievers”, asking “Can the self-fulfilling prophecy close the achievement gap?”
When writing this dissertation, she had to go through many procedures.
“I had to attend classes, do papers, more papers, leave Blythewood High School to go to USC, and a lot of outside challenges,” Dr. Reed said.
Her hard work definitely paid off.
“She’s a good teacher because of her experiences. She knows the questions we are going to ask before we ask them, and can thoroughly explain the content of each chapter," freshman Ansley Stone said.
As a teacher and parent, Dr. Reed is looked up to by many students.
“Kids. I would rather deal with children any day than adults. I like adults, I can deal with them, but I love the kids," Dr. Reed said.
Students seem to have the same feeling towards Dr. Reed.
“She has taught me that I really need to study harder for my test grades,” freshman Mary Kathryn Ballentine said. “Also she has been a really good teacher! She tells us what we are supposed to expect and she's a really visual teacher which helps me learn more. Also she is very understanding about different situations that face students."
Dr. Reed insists forming a strong relationship with a student is very important when it comes to teaching.
When it comes to education, she knows how to motivate her students.
“I make sure they understand that they matter. That’s it. Bottom line," Dr. Reed said.
Not only is she able to form a secure bond with each student, but she also teaches clearly and to the best of her ability.
“I’m very under the premise that… I try to read faces. And it’s very important for me that my teaching style reflects me breaking the most simple concept down to the most complicated concept. That’s what I strive to do," Dr. Reed said.
She seems to enjoy teaching with the useful tools of Google Classroom and colors on the smartboard by her side.
“Her teaching style is by talking to us while demonstrating the problems on the board. She will also walk around the room to help and is always available for questions. This helps me because it gives me one-on-one training and better authenticates my understanding of the subject,” Stone said.
According to Dr. Reed, math was not her first choice to teach.
“I didn’t have a choice on whether or not I wanted to become a Geometry teacher,” Dr. Reed said.
“I didn’t start off majoring in education, but I was a math major. But I started tutoring for one of my professors and I helped class sessions in the library, and I just enjoyed it so much my minor became my major and I majored in education,” Dr. Reed said.
This year was supposed to be Dr. Reed’s last year teaching so she could pursue her dream of becoming a coaching teacher, but luckily for the students, they may have her a little bit longer.
“Well now I’m not sure… I wanted to do something else since I’ve done it so long but I’m still having so much fun! I might be here next year,” Dr. Reed said.
Both students and parents appreciate the work of Dr. Hope Reed, who has guided many students and has been an idol throughout the school years.
